We met each other as children playing together on the "Boston" Celtics in our elementary schools' basketball league. Absolutely smitten with Brian's superior rebounding skills and "chiseled" figure, it was love at first sight. Until she thought she could bulldoze her way into Brian's heart, which led us down separate paths. Years later, we would be reunited as Tara was the Executive Equipment Manager and Comedic Relief Technician for the LCN football team, where Brian had been playing alongside Tara's sister. After many small chats and hints, Brian composed a romantic and thorough love letter to win over Tara's heart yet again... "Hey :)" -Twitter Private Message, March 2014 Little did we know, but our lifetime of love had finally begun.

Following Brian's tastefully executed gesture, we promptly coordinated to meet in person. After month of carefully planning our reunion via text messages and social media, we concocted an ideal place to platonically enjoy our afternoon together: the movies. After minutes of doubt and anticipation, Brian came to the profound realization that this outing may in fact not be platonic. At long last, he grabbed her hand, and in doing so grabbed her heart as well.

Following Tara's return to Michigan in May 2022, Brian planned a surprise weekend vacation to Lake Michigan as gift to Tara for completing her graduate coursework. After dinner on Friday, we decided to walk along the beach to enjoy the sunset and beautiful scenery. While doing so, Tara was prancing in the sunlight and showing off her world-class hair flipping technique. Her smile lit up Brian's world, and he was never more certain that he wanted to be alongside that smile the rest of his life. So, Brian explained this to Tara, and got down on one knee... "I want to make sure I do everything I can to see that smile every day of our lives. Tara, will you marry me?" Tara fumbled out a, "Oh my gosh, Brian that's beautiful! YES!". She started to grab the ring and attempt to put the ring on herself when she proclaimed, "Well do I have to put it on myself or are you going to do it?"