Looking forward to celebrating our big day with you!

It was not until our Senior year at UW-Stout that we had our first class together. I was sitting front row and Nick was close behind I think. One of our first projects as a class was to come up with a design to fill the press sheet so that we can learn how to manage color on the offset printing press. The class decided to split into 4 groups and each design a section. My big idea was to fill the space with printer puns like “Crop it like it’s hot” and no one else but Nick liked this idea. So we worked together on this project and several others throughout the class to get to know each other. He would walk me home from class some days too, where we learned we lived only 3 doors down from each other. On the very last day of the semester, he messaged me over Facebook and asked me out on a date. But since I had already left to go home for winter break, we planned on having dinner the next weekend back up at Stout. Our first date was dinner and a Stout hockey game with spiked hot cocoa, and the rest is history.

It was the 1st 8am class of fall semester 2017. I was running late so I had to sit up fornt. To my left sat a girl I'd never seen before and judging by the organized, color coordination of her books I figured she chose to sit front row actually… oh boy. Our professor was big on spinning around to the people next to you and collaborating. Day one of that Bri and I worked together, and we bonded over lame puns about printing we were using for a project. (We were the only 2 out of the class of 20 that enjoyed these puns I should add.) After that I don't think I had better attendance to any class my college career! I even went to the extra credit events (because Bri was the lab tech that put them on). Over the course of that semester, we started talking more, so much so we started walking home together only to learn we lived 3 doors down from each other! It was during these walks where I was calculating, trying to find my moment. Through doing this though, I quickly learned that because she was so laser focused on school, in my mind, if I was going to have any chance at getting a YES from her, it would have to be when school was out. So, my big plan was to ask her out after the final exam for that class. I knew it was both of our’s last class before winter break, so I knew she wouldn’t have to run off to lab or something; she’d for sure be walking home, and that's when I had planned to ask her out. Buuuut, this didn't go as planned... I studied hard so I could be close to the same pace as Bri, because with my luck I'd get stuck, she'd finish 1st, leave & I would have had to fake a sickness to get out of the classroom to run her down. Nope, instead her computer froze... and she had to go finish the test downstairs in the teacher's office... My plan was foiled... So, in defeat, in a fit of desperation... I Facebook messaged her (didn't have her number yet), asking her out, she was already on her way out of town, but she accepted!! And we went out the next weekend.

I was planning a girls weekend back at home with my parents for a visit, however, last minute my friends were unavailable and I invited Nick to come home with me instead. He acted casual, and agreed to go with me for the weekend, but little did I know he had bigger plans. I missed a few of the warning signs that week, "Bri, are you sure you don't want to repaint your nails?", "Bri, what shirt should I wear in case we go out anywhere on Saturday?". Right over my head. Fast forward to Saturday, our only plans were to bum around McHenry at bars and breweries, which I thought was a fun day. I never caught on to how often everyone was checking the time of day and looking around nervously. Around 3 PM, everyone all of a sudden wanted to go home and "take a nap". I followed along, again, thinking nothing of it. Once we got home, my mom suggested Nick and I take our dog Phebe out for a walk, since she was home alone all day. I happily accepted the task, but Nick made sure we took the long walking route. I later learned... this was code for "get out of the house, we need to decorate". As we approached the house, I noticed Joey seemed to be cleaning his car parked out front. We walked past him and started to bring Phebe in the house through the front door, but Nick seemed to have dropped his shades in the bushes, and needed help finding them? I turned around to help locate the missing shades to find him on one knee with a ring in his hand. In disbelief, all I could I say was "WHAT, OMG, WHAT?" Then he finally said the words, "Brianna, will you marry me?" and I happily said YES!! After saying yes, I finally noticed my surroundings: Joey in the driveway taking video & Haylee hidden in the bushes off to the side taking photos. Then I turn around to face the house to see Nicks sister's from Chicago, Amy and Emily, running out with open arms to congratulate us both. They parked their car on the next block so we would not notice the extra company. My parents then hugged us both and brought us inside, revealing the surprise engagement party!