Cory knew that he wanted to propose while on rotation in Scotland in April 2016.  So, he packed up his most influential female family members and took off in search of the perfect ring.  This shopping trip took place on Easter Sunday at the same antique jeweler that both his father and older brother purchased rings for their brides-to-be.  He looked, he pondered, but kept returning to one selection.  After Paisley, his niece, played hardball and negotiated the lowest price, he left with a little green box that would change is life forever.

I was in Aberdeen for 3 weeks prior to Dorothy's arrival.  I kept the ring in a drawer and checked on it daily.  During these 3 weeks I saw the sun for about 45 minutes total.  I experienced the typical Scottish weather, cold, cloudy, windy, and rainy.  Dorothy landed in Scotland on Friday night to much of the same.  On Saturday morning we hopped on a train down to Stonehaven and hiked to Dunnottar Castle where I had planned to propose.  For the first day in 3 weeks, it did not rain.  It was not cloudy or windy.  It was a perfect sunny day.  When we got to the castle we found a nice lookout to take it all in.  This is where I asked her to marry me.  She initially thought I was joking until I fumbled the ring from my pocket.  Of course she said YES, and the rest is history.