Madison & Brandon
Our Story
How We Met
We met at 16 years old when two of our mutual friends inadvertently told us about the other. Brandon's friend described Madison as a "troll" (a person who jokes a lot) and as we do at 16 they looked Madison up on Facebook. During a time of too much photoshop, he was unsure it was her however went through a few photos, and alas it was her. While Madison's friend expressed "I know someone who likes you but I can't tell you" and Madison said "who" and she said "okay ill tell you". Brandon then began his quest to win Madison's heart via getting her a better grade, asking for a cough drop, and saying his keyboard is too loud to get her number. Here we are because all of it worked. We continued to get to know each other for a few months before Brandon asked Madison "More than friends?"
Making Our Own Traditions
We celebrated our 1 year anniversary at the Lincoln Park Zoo Lights. We enjoyed it so much, that it became an annual visit on our anniversary, creating the first tradition of our relationship. Soon, our individual traditions became shared, and even created a few together. Watching Avatar the Last Airbender every fall, cooking a steak dish while getting drunk off champagne, and hosting our yearly party are a few of the many traditions we enjoy together, and helps make our relationship uniquely ours.
Being Nerds Together
Madison has always been a bit of a nerd; enjoying Batman movies/shows she’d watch with her dad. Yet, the full potential of said nerdiness did not reach its peak until Brandon took her to her first comic con. After one, she was hooked and they began their journey of cosplaying together. From Suki and Sokka to Posion Ivy and the Blue Spirit. One of our favorite things to do together is enjoy cons. The furthest we've taken this hobby is to San Diego Comic Con, where our love for the location began, as well as our love for traveling together
Moving In Together
I know what you might be thinking: MOVING IN BEFORE MARRIAGE?! We made a decision as a couple, that we wanted to make sure we could keep our sanity while living together. While moving in together is a big step in a relationship, it had to have been the easiest transition we’ve ever had. We’ve created not only a life together but also a home. Creating a space that resembles us both and tells our story, has made our bond that much stronger. And we haven’t killed each other yet, so there's that.
The Proposal
I knew I wanted to propose to Madison for awhile. We decided to do a roadtrip from the Northern end of California through the Redwoods, all the way down to the Southern end of San Diego. I wanted to propose at the same place we visited the first time we went to San Diego: Sunset Cliffs. I waited with the ring in my bag for the whole trip, and it was luckily not found by Madison. I rehearsed the speech 100 times. When we got to sunset cliffs, the sky was clear. I asked Madison if we could go to the edge to get a better view, so we did. I reached in my bag, pulled out the ring box, got down on one knee, and BOOM, I forgot my speech. This didn’t phase Madison, as she was too busy freaking out. At the same time, a man who was enjoying the legalities of California, came over and started recording us, really close. To sum it up, the actual proposal itself was kind of a mess, but it all ended up with the girl I wanted to spend the rest of my life with, saying that she wanted the same with me.
What makes our relationship
Many people have asked us how we've made it work since we were 16. Going to different schools, growing into adults, and just life in general. Most of it comes from communication; knowing how to communicate as well as helping each other learn how to communicate our wants and needs in the relationship. Beyond this what we admire about ourselves is that neither of us believe that the other completes them instead we enhance and enrich each others lives. Both of us have become better people learning from each other. Madison learning to be calmer and go with the flow while Brandon learning to think about his own needs. If either of us ever feel like the other is no longer helping us grow we talk about it. We are each others biggest supporters and overall each other's person. Although we don't need each other we want each other and that's truly what makes our relationship work for us. We are a team, two separate wholes creating a fulfilling life we might not have had without the other.