Shotheart through the

Each February we media consumers get whomped over the heads with sappy romance stuff — longing love songs, movies starring Kate Hudson and/ or Matthew McConaughey and those tear-jerking diamond commercials, to name a few.

Though these things entertain and sometimes stir up pleasant sensations in our guts, they are contrived, fantastical and primarily aimed at selling us something.

This month, we give you the Advocate antidote for the cynicism that no doubt digs deeper into our psyche with each passing year: a collection of true love stories from our real-life neighbors, complete with all the awkwardness and authenticity unseen in cheesy movies.

Aubrie And AdAm “Life

is a musical,” says Aubrie Nelson, laughing. “For me at least. He calls me an iPod,” she says, shrugging in the direction of her fiancé, Adam Ashenfelter.

“Give her a song and she’ll start singing,” Ashenfelter agrees.

“My friends say this was the perfect proposal for me,” Nelson says. “He really catered it to me and my personality.” do this once.”

The couple finishes each other’s sentences as they excitedly describe Ashenfelter’s larger-thanlife marriage proposal.

“I just thought, you’re only going to do this once,” Ashenfelter explains.

Ashenfelter knew right away that he wanted to marry Nelson — although he doesn’t readily admit it because “that would sound crazy.” They met on Feb. 24, 2012, went on their first date the next day, and spent almost every day after that together. Roughly three months later, in May, Ashenfelter decided to go with his gut, which told him to pop the question.

“Then it was just, how am I going to do it and when?” he says.

He sought counsel from his sisters. Since Nelson is an event supervisor at the Dallas Arboretum, Ashenfelter knew he wanted to do something that incorporated her work. His sister had an idea: Stage a flash mob.

At first Ashenfelter shrugged it off. How would he pull off a flash mob? But the idea stuck. So, he turned to Google for help and found Flash Mob America, a production company that organizes seemingly spontaneous public performances across the nation. After filling out the application form, Ashenfelter soon received a call from FMA: They were in, and it would be their first production in Dallas!

On July 23, Nelson had a big day ahead of her at work. She was told Dallas Arboretum president Mary Brinegar was speaking at a garden party that evening, and the night had to be flawless. Nelson showed up at 4 p.m. and received her work orders, just like a typical day — except something seemed off. Someone had already escorted the guests inside, which is typically Nelson’s job.

“I think Angela [Rollins, Nelson’s boss] was trying to get me to do as little as possible, so that I wasn’t running around,” Nelson says.

On top of that, as people kept showing up, Nelson wasn’t sure who they were or what to do with them. Rollins gave Nelson a mic and told her to go to the front because the Arboretum president was on her way.

Suddenly, a man in the crowd started singing loudly — and he didn’t stop. As he made his way to the front of the crowd, belting out “Everything” by Michael Bublé, Nelson gave him a no-nonsense headshake. Then the song started playing over the loud speakers and the crowd in front of her quickly formed rows and began dancing a choreographed routine.

One of the FMA actresses standing beside Nelson on the stage kept asking what was going on, but Nelson told her she didn’t know.

Halfway through the dance, it dawned on Nelson what was happening. When the actress asked again, Nelson told her, “I think my boyfriend is here,” as she searched the crowd for his face. At the end of the song, the “audience” formed a tunnel with their hands and bodies, leading from the back of the crowd to the front. Ashenfelter dashed through the tunnel to where Nelson was waiting, and dropped to his knee.

Somewhere between crying happy tears and frantically waving her hands, Nelson said “yes” and put on Ashenfelter’s ring.

“I guess he made my dreams a reality that day,” Nelson concludes, reflecting on the reallife musical her fiancé staged just for her.

Ashenfelter says he’s just glad the secretkeeping is over. Well, and the planning.

Judy Garrett 214-755-1927 jkgarrett@yahoo.com

Rob Elmore 214-770-8885 rob@robelmore.com

GARRETTELMORE.COM

Simone And Jaime

6440 N. Central Expressway, Suite 505, Dallas, TX 75206 214-871-2201 wrw@woolleywilson.com

Match.com is often a place where strangers meet. But as Simone and Jaime Garner began chatting through the dating website in 2005, the world seemed to shrink.

Turns out, both of them grew up in the same area and went to Bryan Adams High School, where Simone hung out with two of Jaime’s younger sisters. She and Jaime never met.

Simone’s family also is intricately connected to Jaime’s. Her godmother served as a nanny for Jaime’s great-aunt and greatuncle while the military family was stationed in Germany. Jaime’s extended family later sponsored her to come to the United States where she became close friends with Simone’s grandmother in small-town San Marcos.

At a funeral, Simone and Jaime discovered their family plots right next to each other.

“There are so many coincidences, you’re not even surprised by them anymore,” Jaime says.

About eight months after meeting and four months after moving in together, Jaime and Simone went for a walk along a beach in Cancún, where Jaime proposed with a souvenir ring he bought in the town. The couple married in 2006 and is expecting a baby at the end of July.

“It makes you question faith,” Simone says. “It makes you really wonder if we’re destined or meant to be together. It makes you wonder if you’re truly in this life plan to meet a certain person and be with them forever.”

When Simone moved into Jaime’s house and began organizing the furniture, she says she started to cry bittersweet tears knowing that their relationship was the real deal.

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“We can from time to time, but we always come back to each other.”

“I was happy but at the same time saying goodbye to the single girl, because I knew this is it.”

Traditional roles don’t apply in the Garner household. Jaime, who has volunteered and worked at Alex Sanger Elementary School, is great with kids and loves to cook. Simone shares the chores and is a bit fiery, they say.

“We can butt heads from time to time, but we always come back to each other,” Jaime says. “I don’t dole out rings to just anybody.”

“You better not,” Simone says.