I was new to Gainesville and trying to join one of the small groups my church offered. I saw Brian on the Greenhouse website and thought, "He seems kind. I'll check out his group." There were a few unsuccessful attempts to meet up with them, even one that took me to an entirely different location than intended! I'm a pretty private individual, so calling him for directions was slightly out of my comfort zone (didn't want him to have my number lol). He was embarrassed that he sent me to the wrong location, so he made up for it by inviting me to his Christmas party. I took another step out of my comfort zone and decided to attend the event even though I didn't know anyone. When I pulled up to the farm, I was greeted by this polite young man towering over me. He had a warm smile and a welcoming demeanor. Thus began the journey of Kristen and Brian...
It was one year to the date, February 14 2022, since we had been dating. It was the day I would propose to Kristen. It was a planned day that came full of surprises. We started with brunch and ended at our favorite Italian restaurant. There I had everyone in on the surprise even the owner of the restaurant. We started off with our lovely meal and ended the night with what was suppose to be dessert. But what our waiter brought out was her ring instead. There I got down on one knee while our friend, Angela, played the violin softly in the background. Meanwhile, Angelo captured the entire moment on his amazing, award-winning Android phone with the best video quality. When Kristen said yes, the whole restaurant applauded, cheered and congratulated us both on our engagement.