Brandon and I met at Fredonia during a high school track meet. I was throwing shot put that day. I thought it was a little strange that during warmup throws, a group of boys were rolling the shot put back to the girls after they were done throwing but would hand deliver the shot put to me after I was done throwing. A few throws later, a thrower from another high school said to me, "This bald kid behind me thinks you're cute" while pointing at Brandon. I did not end up talking to Brandon during that track meet, but friend requested him on Facebook a few days after. He accepted, we exchanged numbers, and the rest is history!

A little backstory first... Back when we starting dating in 2013, I was hesitant to make our relationship "Facebook official." Brandon said he would bribe me with peanut butter m&m's (my favorite candy) if I made it official. Well, I made it official, but I didn't get those m&m's. Then in 2020, we went to Nashville to see the Buffalo Sabres play the Nashville Predators. On Friday, I really wanted to attend SiriusXM The Highway's Music Row Happy Hour at Margaritaville with Buzz Brainard and Ania Hammer. I've always listened to their show on Friday's and had to attend. We even made it to the front row to see Ross Ellis perform, and I got a picture with Buzz! I thought that was the highlight of my weekend. The show was winding down, and Brandon reminded me that we had to move our car. On our way, he mentioned he wanted to go on the John Seigenthaler Pedestrian Bridge. I suggested a lookout spot and spent a few minutes viewing the skyline at night. Then, Brandon reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a small bag of peanut butter m&m's. I looked at him and asked what this was for. He didn't answer. Then, he reached into his pocket again and pulled out a folded piece of paper. He began reading, and I was questioning is this happening/is this it? Brandon kept reading and was relating each color of an m&m to a favorite memory of us during our relationship. He then got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. I was so surprised and shocked in the heat of the moment that had him waiting on his knee for a few long seconds, but of course I said YES! I was so excited... WE ARE GETTING MARRIED! He even arranged his friends from college who lived in Nashville to capture this moment. This made this trip so much more special. I was absolutely suprised and had no idea any of these plans! But it made sense that something was up because he was acting a little off that day and he couldn't eat... and as you know Brandon, that man can eat! A weekend we will never forget!