Forever, for always, and no matter what.

Bridget's Version Matt and I had known each other as friendly acquaintances since the beginning of freshman year. We met at a friend's pumpkin carving birthday party (shoutout to Valerie). However, it wasn't until halfway through sophomore year that either of us really noticed each other. My lovely older sister, Maria, was marrying her equally lovely husband, Jose, three days after final exams ended for our fall semester at Ave. We all flew up to Michigan and with us came one Matthew Driscoll, a close friend and groomsman of Jose's. Matt was at every moment charming and gracious during the crazy few days leading up to the wedding. After the grand event itself, my family stayed behind at the venue to clean everything up. Matt and I were tasked with taking a carload of items back to my family's house. When we arrived, my brother Tom was there to help us unload. He struck up a conversation with Matt. Tom: "Thanks for helping us so much this weekend!" Matt: "No problem! My sister just got married this summer, so I know the chaos." Tom: "Are you thinking of getting married any time soon...?" Matt: "Umm.... I don't thinkkkk so." Tom: "Well, it's just that, Bridget is SUPER single, so you could marry her!" *at this point I, Bridget, choked on my water and started hitting Tom* Tom: "Yeah! You guys would have...." *observing our massive height difference* "...Normal sized children." Matt (ever the charmer): "Well, why don't we exchange numbers so we can talk about exchanging the sufficient amount of goats for a dowery." Bridget: *with attempted dignity* "Excuse me! I think I'm at least worth a few camels, thank you very much!" Tom: "Camels it is then. I'll send them to you directly!" *shakes hands with Matt* Bridget: *dies* Matt went back home the next day and I tried, and almost succeeded, to forget about the whole embarrassing situation. Matt, however, was determined to bring it up again and reminded me on our first day back for spring semester that my family now owed him a great deal of camels. The idea of him was firmly in my mind now. Flash forward to a few weeks later, my brother Tom actually had a package full of tiny camels delivered to Matt!-- firmly cementing the idea of me in Matt's mind. After that, through a series of connections including mutual friends and being in Drama Club together, we started hanging out more and more until we began to fall for each other. I remember the moment I knew I was fully head-over-heels. Matt and I were both visiting a friend's apartment (shoutout to Bryn!) and Matt was passionately and beautifully expounding on his love for the Catholic Liturgy. Later on, Bryn told me that I had the biggest puppy-dog eyes the whole time, totally transfixed on Matt... I simply remember thinking "I want his passion in my life forever." I'm happy to say that I still am totally transfixed by his passion every single day and that I am over the moon excited to spend the rest of my life getting to know the depths of his heart... even if it cost my brother several camels to get here.

First and foremost, I would like to apologize to all of Bridget’s and my adoring fans for the delay in publishing this account. But without further ado… I remember first seeing Bridget during Orientation. We didn’t speak at the time, but as she mentioned, that would change soon enough. In a strange twist of providence, I had already met Maria (then Bogan, now Quiceno) and Josh (married to Bridget's sister Julia) during a late-night wandering adventure across campus—introducing myself to people and confidently assuring myself I would remember their names. As anyone who has gone through college knows, this was wildly optimistic. A few months later, I found myself in the common room of the JPII Mega Dorm (now a laundry room). We were there for a birthday party. It was a lively evening—meeting people, putting a pumpkin on my head, doing the Macarena… as one does. Eventually, the noise and chaos drove me to step into the kitchen for a moment of quiet. Where there was only one person present, washing dishes. That’s where I met Bridget. She struck me immediately as kind and thoughtful. We introduced ourselves and ended up talking for over an hour about everything from philosophy to history. It was, quite simply, marvelous. After that night, we didn’t interact much for a while—until we crossed paths again during the fall production of Clue (shoutout to Bryn and the entire cast). Even then, life pulled us in different directions. I was involved in other shows and in a relationship at the time, while Bridget was helping bring Beauty and the Beast to life. Bridget and I would have another entrancing conversation that I think, at least in part, helped her switch her major to philosophy, though I don’t think I can take credit for that. She has always had a knack for pursuing wisdom. It wasn’t until the following fall, when I was asked to be a groomsman in Jose’s wedding, that Bridget reentered the picture more fully. She became my point person for all things wedding—because Bridget, as it turns out, simply has all the answers. Which was certainly helpful when I had questions like…” where am I going to stay”, “what should I wear”, “Where is this thing happening again?” And so on. Y’know, as one does. Continued below…

During Maria & Jose's wedding festivities, Bridget and I spent a good deal of time together. We even danced a few times, and the thought entered into my mind for a brief moment, “What if…” That, though, promptly fell to the wayside after what came next. At one point, she attempted to teach me how to samba (or something like it). Unfortunately, I lack the necessary hips for such endeavors, and judging by her facial expressions, it seemed I didn’t have a chance. And so any romantic prospects should, by all reasonable accounts, have ended there. And yet… they did not. After the wedding, we drove together to her family’s home to help unload supplies. There, her brother Tom adamantly raised the matter of Bridget’s singleness. Naturally, I responded in the only appropriate way: by inquiring about a dowry. As one does. As Bridget has already recounted, this led to negotiations involving goats, camels, and eventually a delivered parcel of miniature camels—which I am still awaiting fulfillment of in their full-sized form. From that point on, Bridget and I grew steadily closer. What began as acquaintances became…well, a beautiful friendship. Truly, one of the best I could have ever asked for. Bridget mentioned the night in Bryn’s apartment where we talked about the Liturgy. What she hadn’t mentioned were the dozens of conversations that happened that Spring, which, like flowers in my mind, I examine the details of in the beautiful bouquet of memories. On rare occasions in life, one encounters a person who not only recognizes what is good, true, and beautiful, but actively strives toward it. In Bridget, I found such a person—a genuine seeker of the sublime. (And super cute to boot!) And for such a companion, I am beyond grateful. Our story has not been without its challenges. There have been difficult moments alongside joyful ones. But through it all, I have found no one else with whom I would rather walk this path. So this past fall, I asked my best friend if she would be my wife. She was gracious enough to say yes. And I look forward to cherishing the heart of my fellow traveler—in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health, for the rest of our lives. You know… as one does.