We met when my brother started going to Central Academy at Lake Park (CALP) in 2008. I (Olivia) would sit in the passenger seat when my mom picked Micah and Nathaniel up from basketball practice. It was not love at first sight, but what do you expect when you're twelve? He was a close friend and Nathaniel's best friend, but nothing more! Micah and I both went to UNC (Go Heels!), along with my best friend, Madeline (also CALP). Once Micah made it to UNC in 2015, the three of us were super close friends. We did a lot together, and Micah became one of my closest friends. We went to basketball games together, ate at Rams Dining Hall and even had a few political science classes together. But we were still just friends, so you're probably wondering now when we became something more?

In January 2017, Madeline left the trio to study abroad in Spain, which is a key part of our story. With Madeline across the Atlantic, Micah and I began spending A LOT of time together just the two of us. And I felt my feelings starting to change toward him. I began to realize how kind and compassionate he was, that he really loved the Lord and that he was pretty handsome! And it hit me, wow, I like Micah!! Unbeknownst to me, Micah was having these same feelings. In February, we both went to the Cru Semi-Formal, and he remembered thinking, "DANG, Olivia is pretty!" And when I went to Spain to visit Madeline, he missed me a lot and realized how much he loved being with me. After a few months of us going on a couple "not-dates" to Al's Burger Shack and Maple View in Chapel Hill, we finally had the conversation on my front porch that changed everything. Over frozen pizzas, we both confessed to liking each other more than friends. On our first real date, we had Mexican food and frozen yogurt, and then he asked me to be his girlfriend a few weeks later. The rest is history! Since then, we've made plenty of fun memories, including celebrating Micah's birthday with a fun day trip to Boone and Blowing Rock and spending our first anniversary in London at a friend's wedding. We've spent a lot of time watching Panthers/Patriots games, talking about politics and making good food...the three keys to our relationship!

Well, I (Micah) was trying to figure out how to surprise Olivia, but this is not an easy task, so I tried to misdirect. Trent and I drove up to Raleigh early to figure out the exact spot at Pullen Park where I was going to ask Olivia, and then I went to pick her up. Somehow, I think I held my composure and didn’t blatantly seem nervous, but she kept asking why the restaurant didn't have a table at 5:30 on a Tuesday. When we got to the spot, my nerves sprung back up, and I think I just cut her off mid-sentence and said “Olivia, will you marry me?” And I got down on my knee. She said “Yes! Oh my gosh! I love you! We’re getting married!” And then we had to call all of our friends and family because we were so excited and knew they would be too!