What if we told you that the day we met we both woke up trying to enjoy the best of our Saturday's thinking of celebrations to come? What if we told you it was on sunny South Beach as the birds were chirping and the waves were crashing? What if we told you it happend over a $5 glass of Rose & Wharton open bar at Nikki Beach? Woud you believe us? I guess you have to know. So on this random Saturday as Melissa was enjoying her pre-birthday festivities with her bestie Steph and Chris was celebrating "beach week" aka pre-graduation at Nikki beach with some of his closest classmates that two worlds decided to collide. Chris approached Melissa wondering who is this queen? You guessed it, the only way he knows best, offering the lovely woman a drink for her birthday - Melissa respectfully declined. After some much needed perseverance she obliged. But now is when the real story begins. Following the random laughs and good vibes, Chris decided to ask for a quick ride half way up the beach; however, little did he know that in Melissa's back seat would be Michelle Obama's book "Becoming." As he turned from page to page, he landed on Chapter 9 and read the following line out loud; “Soon as I allowed myself to feel anything for Barack, the feelings came rushing- a toppling blast of lust, gratitude, fulfillment, and wonder." - MB. 2018 (This might not be MLA but we going to cite these sources). That was the moment that Chris knew, he had to shoot his shot, and so he did. Chris then told Mel; "You could be the Michelle to my Obama?" - Christopher Maurice Lyle That one liner quickly turned into nonstop laughter and tears of joy, not those of pain, but those that had forged a friendship that would lay the foundation of their future. Melissa began to lower her wall and Chris continued to go with the flow and somehow they both (+ Stephanie) landed at Ball & Chain in Little Havana as Melissa arrived glowing like she always does. From there the weekend led to much unexpected fun, birthday celebration in Downtown Coral Gables, a missed flight back to Philly, and a splash of Chris walking Dream. From here we will let you fill in the gaps, but if you still want to learn about our journey, keep reading to Part II.

Have you ever purchased a roundtrip ticket and canceled your flight back "home" because the world was seamlessly coming to an end due to a world ending pandemic? Little did Chris know that this "one week in Miami" would become a lot more than that. Stay tuned, part II coming soon....

The proposal... Coming soon