It was the start of 2020. At this time, both of us were working in the hospitals being swarmed with COVID patients; myself in the Intensive Care Unit and Brad in the Emergency Department. Michigan and the country were starting to go into lockdown. At this point in our lives we were both single and had no idea when we would be able to go back out into the world to meet someone. One afternoon in late February, I decided to do something I said I would never do! I downloaded a dating app. Luckily for me, it just so happened to be the same dating app Bradley was on. Within 2 days, I "matched" with Brad and deleted the app. After such a small amount of time messaging with him, I knew it was going to be something special. With the quarantine in full effect, Brad and I had no other options but to only communicate over our phones. For 3 months, we texted and FaceTimed, never meeting face to face. Although that time period was miserable for both of us, it was also the best thing in the world. We had each other to talk to on the bad days, someone to laugh with constantly, and we had so much fun getting to know one another. Little did we know, we were about to spend the rest of our lives together. Downloading that dating app was the best decision I have ever made!

Ashley and I had been texting and FaceTiming for 3 months. We finally said enough is enough and decided to meet in person. At this time, full quarantine and lockdown was still in effect, so we had no other choice but to meet at one of our homes. Our first "real" date included lots of Thai food, a million laughs, non-stop conversation until 4am, and a very awkward first kiss attempt! But what really sealed the deal, was a memory that neither one of us will ever forget. After dinner, I was playing ball with Mac and decided to attempt to be super athletic. My goal was to show off to Ashley that I could hop over the couch and grab the ball all in one sweet, super cool move. A small snag happened; literally. My foot got caught at the top of the couch and I hit the ground. HARD. Even harder was the hit my head took to the corner of the wall. I had the wind knocked out of me and I was seeing stars. Although slightly blurry, I could see and hear Ashley hysterically laughing so hard that she was crying. I felt the indent in the back of my head and saw the blood on my fingers. I stood up and tried to brush it off like it was nothing at all, like the cool, coordinated guy that I am. Ashley got up and grabbed some ice for my head, with tears still rolling down her face. I sat there, with a bag of ice on my head, still dazed, watching Ashley belly laugh at me. The only thought that went through my head was "Wow, this is our first date, I absolutely bit it and made a fool of myself. Instead of being over the top or trying to pretend she didn't find that super entertaining, this girl is crying laughing while taking care of me at the same time. She can already be herself around me in the face of my stupidity and over-confidence." I already knew through the months of phone communication that Ashley was the most amazing and down-to-earth girl I have ever met. But once all that happened at my house, on our first date nonetheless, I knew Ashley was "The One". It was something about that night, something that I can't exactly put into words, that I instantly felt comfortable and close to her, something that I had never felt before.

For my birthday in June, Bradley had plans to take me on a date to a sunflower field. We had to wait until August to go so they would be in full bloom. On August 20th, 2021, we made our way over to Westview Orchards. I was the slightest bit suspicious, so while walking in, I took a look at his pockets. There was no evidence of a ring box, so it was never a thought for the rest of the evening. It was the PERFECT sunflower field. The flowers couldn't have been more beautiful. I was in awe the entire time, completely oblivious to what was about to happen. There was this adorable little white bench in the middle of the field and we went to sit down and take a few pictures. Brad started to say all of these wonderful sweet things, when his eyes started to fill up with tears. His tears of happiness were followed by him dropping to one knee and asking me to marry him! After the proposal, I saw this woman pop out of the sunflowers! Brad had hired a photographer to follow us around and capture the moment. To this day, I cannot think of a better way Bradley could have proposed. It was personable, memorable, romantic, and perfect.