It was a typical Friday night at ISU and Brandon’s fraternity was having a get-together at their Fraternity house. That evening, I joined a couple of friends who were going to the Theta Chi hangout. I wanted to expand my social circle during that time, as I was a freshman in college. I had recently ended a long-term high school relationship and wanted to focus on making new friends and connections. I met Brandon while introducing myself to a group of people gathered around one of the couches in the living room of the Theta Chi house. We were all playing drinking games and getting to know each other. Brandon and I started talking and found out that we had mutual friends. Brandon was a sophomore at that time. There was not an initial spark at first, but it was easy talking to each other. Not too long before we met, he had ended a long-term relationship as well, but was not interested in anything romantic at that time. From the start, we always had a connection. We often hung out and were each other’s dates to our Greek events, of course as friends. I tried so hard not to have feelings toward him because I knew that if I let myself, I would fall hard for him. Love made me uncomfortable, and I never felt like I deserved to experience it, so I often ran from it. Brandon also had his own issues with love, but we were able to surprise each other. After about a year of debating whether we wanted to see where whatever we had went, Brandon decided to take a leap of faith and ask me to be his girlfriend. I happily said yes. Brandon asked me to be his girlfriend in the most adorable way. He planned a little picnic with wine and snacks at an orchestral event called, “Symphony on the Prairie,” in his hometown Fishers, Indiana. The orchestra was paying tribute to the Beatles that evening. He knew how much I loved orchestral music and the Beatles. He made me feel special, and he made me feel known. How could I say no?! After deciding on taking a leap of faith on each other that evening, we have been together for about 8+ years. There have been many ups and downs. Distance, time, and life has tested our love. We have loved and accepted different versions of each other at different stages in life. Through it all, we have chosen each other. Our relationship took us by surprise, and now, here we are planning our wedding and the rest of our lives together.

After I graduated college, Brandon and I stood at a crossroads. We were both facing massive decisions in life such as our careers and relationship. He decided to serve as an Infantryman in the Army, and I decided to pursue my career as an engineer in California. Long distance tested us, but we continued to choose a life together. Eventually the time came when Brandon was to be deployed overseas. It was hard to think that there was going to be even more distance and time between us. On July 28th, 2020, the summer before covid turned the world more upside-down, Brandon proposed to me. He took his pre-deployment leave to join me in Texas. We wanted to spend time together with my family and then travel to Indiana to spend time with his family. Brandon wanted to say his goodbyes to everyone before he left. While in Texas, Brandon asked for my parents’ blessing and conspired with them on how he would propose. At that time, I thought he would wait to propose after he came back from deployment. Brandon knew what he wanted and went for it. I never saw it coming! My parents took us to South Padre Island on the day of the proposal. Brandon and my parents were actively seeking for the perfect spot for him to propose. We went on a dolphin watch, since I love dolphins, and went to a couple cute areas around Port Isabel and on the Island. It wasn’t until after having dinner that we decided to take a stroll on the beach. There were people crab hunting, as it is a common family activity around there. I was telling my parents and Brandon to watch where they walked so that we don’t step on any crabs. My dad asked me if he could hold my purse and sandals. I thought nothing of it since he is always holding stuff for my mom and me. I was about to continue walking, while looking out for crabs, when Brandon pulled me close. I was confused and asked him what was going on. He told me that he didn’t want to deploy without me knowing that he wants to spend the rest of his life with me and asked me to marry him. I was in utter shock and felt a rush of pure happiness through my body and started to giggle and smile like an idiot. I managed to gather my thoughts and feelings and say yes!