Our story began at Cleveland State University, where we both studied theatre. We actually were in the same Intro to Theatre class in 2016, but never spoke to one another! I saw Nnamdi perform in Romeo and Juliet in March, and a seed of wonder was planted. Nearly a year of curious glances and shared smiles passed before one "Happy Birthday" post on Facebook changed everything. A week after my 20th birthday, we spent some treasured time together at a cast party and we knew then that our lives would never be the same.

On 11.11.2022, Nnamdi had planned for us to go to the pier by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame to celebrate 11/11 (yes, we are "make a wish at 11:11 people") with our dear friend Ricki. We were going to make wishes at 11:11, on 11.11, and take headshots for one another, maybe even go to the Rock Hall afterward. Imagine my surprise when, after making our wishes, I started to wander away (toward a perched seagull of all things), and was redirected to see Nnamdi on one knee behind me. I was stunned, to say the least! But eagerly bubbling beneath that surface of shock was pure joy and excitement. Joy and excitement that has lived in my heart from the day our story began.

After two previous failed attempts, I knew I couldn't afford another loss in this battle. I bamboozled Brooke into going to the "Rock and Roll Hall of Fame," though she was rather irritable that morning, so that's where I knew Ricki would play a critical role in this endeavor. I knew no matter how sick Brooke was with the morning grump-bug, an interaction with Ricki would be received as healing. The final obstacle that day was how unexpectedly early it would begin to rain prior to 11:11. I HAD to act fast. We arrived there around 11:07 with only a few minutes to spare. I devised a plan for us to make a wish at the pier at 11:11, but in a shocking turn of events, the wishes would be caught in the wind before reaching the water. This would play to my advantage, because I now had a reason to crouch down and assume the perfect position for the proposal. Thanks to the redirection of Ricki, Brooke would see that I was on one knee, and that she was the only one for me.