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You heard it right! We were in our Freshman year at Grand Valley State University. The hot spot for a buffet lunch was at the center of campus, Fresh. I was headed there after a workout with my roommates. As we were walking out to head back to our dorm, I ran into a friend from class, Elizabeth. She was enjoying a (free) meal (does that count as a date?) with a hunk. In my head, I thought, "if you don't look at him, you won't drool"...but he didn't let me get away with that. This man stood up out of his chair, introduced himself, and reached out his arms for a hug. Oh, Bradley, you had me right then and there. As I walked away, I texted Liz, "If he is not yours...please let him be mine". Well, he's mine (:

We were at Pizza Hut when he called me his "girlfriend" for the first time. We had just sat down at our booth in the back corner of Pizza Hut- the prime date night as Freshmen in college. His phone rang and I told him to answer it! Our waitress turned the corner, and Brad was ending his phone call. "Hey man, I am out to lunch with my girlfriend. Can I call you back later?". GIRLFRIEND. Que the largest smile in the world, followed by the best pinapple and ham pizza I ever ate.

It was 12 days before my commencement ceremony and we knew it was about to be a family-fun packed weekend. My best friend was flying in Friday morning (from Arizona) and parents were to follow later that night. My two sets of grandparents planned to join Saturday and friends were to tag along after the ceremony Saturday afternoon. Little time was left for Brad and I to celebrate just the two of us. We decided that we wanted to spend some time together on Thursday night before the troops marched in Friday- dinner, my choice. I chose to have dinner in Rockford- our favorite date night location. I asked Brad if he would pick me up from work as it was on the way to Rockford and I love our one-on-one car karaoke time! He showed up with hot coco, a scarf and a hat. He said, “in case we want to take our walk by the dam”- something we typically do when visiting Rockford. This time of year I knew the dam was sparkling head to toe with Christmas lights; the perfect winter wonderland. I told him we could only walk to the gazebo and back- for any other walk in the cold would have been too long. The walk to the gazebo was all he needed! We talked about random things, the new shop down the road, the Christmas lights, how I’d decorate my dream home. We got to the gazebo much quicker than I imagined and as I continued to be a chatty-cathy about decorations, Brad took my hands. I couldn’t hear the words he was saying over the sound of my heartbeat and instant tears. He went down on one knee, and I went with him. It took a few moments to step out of the “Brad and Michaelyn world” and realize we were surrounded by two photographers and our friends. Ring in hand, he slipped it on my finger and sealed the deal with one of his to-tight-to-breathe, feet off the ground, bear-hugs. As we hugged he whispered, “I have one more surprise”. He set me back on the ground, turned me around, and surprised me with my best friend, Brianna Fox, who flew in early to be apart of our special day.