Welcome

It all started with a DQ ice cream cake. Yes, it was delicious. The text said "look outside" and in true Romeo and Juliet fashion, I peered out my 8th floor freshman dorm window to see Sam and Niko standing at the side doors with what looked like a cake. I was delighted. After coming downstairs we all ate bits of the ice cream cake while chatting about school, life, relationships--they had brought me the cake to cheer me up after a break-up. I didn't know it at the time, but this was Sam's first attempt to grab my attention in a subtle way. Too subtle because the entire time I thought it was Niko's idea. Ah well! After that Sam and I started talking more through text and snapchat. At one point he mentioned feeling confident on a chemistry topic I was struggling in, so we spent one evening reviewing together. That was a Tuesday in the beginning of November, 2014. From that point forward I felt like I was always seeing Sam around. I saw him at breakfast, before Purduettes rehearsal, in between classes. He was suddenly in my life a lot--and I really liked it. I found myself watching the clock to make sure I got to the dining hall for meals at the exact same time every morning--hoping I'd see him. Only later did he confide that he was doing the same! One night, November 6th, I was up late studying for something. Who knows what--I took a lot of classes freshman year. Sam sent me a snapchat of him watching Gladiator and I--wanting to procrastinate--immediately lamented about wanting to watch a movie. He invited me over to his dorm and we spent the rest of the night watching Gladiator--#romantic--and chatting. That morning of November 7th, on the walk to class, Sam asked me out. He came right out and said, "Brenna, will you be my girlfriend?" and I happily accepted. We've been dating ever since, and my what a journey it's been.

Brenna was going to be my wife, I had known that for a while, but when we graduated college I wanted to make it real. And so I needed a ring. A friend at work suggested a jeweler close to Indianapolis. After visiting, I got some options for a custom ring and realized very quickly that if left to my own devices I was going to pick everything wrong. So I needed help, and what better guide than the lady herself? So Brenna and I went ring shopping. We visited shops narrowing down diamonds, bands, styles, and all the things I'd never guess went into a ring. Eventually, the ever-evaluative Brenna had armed me with a very thorough list of ideas that would be helpful if someone was to, say, design an engagement band. On weekdays or weekends where Brenna was busy, I would make the two-hour round trip from Kokomo to see the jeweler to get everything just right. I even added a few touches of my own, such as metal-dendrite inspired scrollwork on the edge. Eventually, we got to the center stone. She brought out several options and, knowing Brenna, I picked the biggest and shiniest one she had. Below you can see a 3D model of it just before it was cast! One detail was missing, though, before the final step. We never got Brenna's ring size. Thankfully, Jess Oneil came to the rescue with a very casual request and a ring sizer she just happened to have lying around... which I had given her. Armed with the precious cargo, I just needed to find the right vehicle and delivery. She mentioned several times leading up to the proposal that we needed more pictures of us around the house, so I scheduled a photoshoot and made my own plans. Keith and the photographer had set up a table next to a fountain in front of the Lilly house in Indianapolis, where we would end the day. On the table was flowers and a small box. When she saw the table, I think she knew what was going to happen, but wasn't expecting the box to play our song when it opened to show the ring. Keith's idea!