We met on August 23, 2014 when we were both invited to a Cleveland Browns pre-season game by our mutual friend (shout out to John Atkinson!). We tell people we met at a Browns game, but we really met in the car on the way to the Browns game. When John told me we were going to pick up his friend from college ("He's hilarious, you'll love him!" proclaimed Alexis), I was worried about who this friend would be. As we pulled up to his house in Tremont, I spotted a cute guy in a Johnny Manziel t-shirt with his hands in the pockets of his khaki shorts. It was relief at first sight, as the first thought that crossed my mind was, "He doesn't look like a douche!" The game is a blur (lots of Fireball), but walking the streets of Tremont after the game, chatting on the patio at Treehouse, and eating Barrio tacos at 2 am remain clear memories in my mind. Bryan sent me a friend request on Facebook the next day, we exchanged numbers, and the rest is history.

Bryan and I were on a trip to London, England. Avid fans of greenhouses and botanical gardens, we had planned a day trip to the Kew Royal Botanical Gardens. We left central London early that day and arrived at the gardens as they were opening. London was hot that week and the temperatures quickly reached the upper 80s as we strolled through the 300 acres of garden. At around noon London time (7 am for our families), we arrived at the Temperate House. The largest Victorian glasshouse in the world, the Temperate House had reopened a few weeks earlier after being closed for restoration. We wandered inside, in awe of its size and beauty. We climbed a spiral staircase to a narrow walkway that wrapped around the top of the glasshouse. Bryan slowed down and let a family pass around us. He told me how happy he was to be on the trip with me and his hand started moving toward his pocket. He quickly knelt down, got on one knee, and asked me to marry him. Stunned, I said yes as Bryan slid the ring onto my finger (swollen and sweaty from the heat). We headed back to the garden cafe and bought a small bottle of proseco. We took it to a shady spot in the grass and popped it open to celebrate. An older British woman walked by and gave us an excited Cheers! Later that day, we enjoyed a celebratory dinner at a pink, velvety restaurant in London and then enjoyed cocktails at an underground speakeasy.