Michael was at a party that he had been invited to only 30 minutes before it started. Michael arrived with a few of his buddies, and Lillie was conversing with her small group of friends. As the events are unfolding during the party, Michael realizes that he knows everyone except for this gorgeous girl from Kansas, laughing and chatting away. Now, Michael, a good ol' southern man, never wanted anything to do with Kansas. However, that sweet girl just took his breath away. The party dwindles slowly, and Michael is left with Lillie and a few other mutual friends. They engage in some small talk, nothing much. Lillie feels some way for the man she sees before her, and Michael can't help but stand in awe of the woman in front of him. They become friends and start to hang out quite often, playing pickleball and listening to older country music, with the first song they both love, "Pickup Man" by Joe Diffie. Now, Michael had bought a plane ticket to visit his grandparents in Herington, Kansas. Little did he know that Lillie was from Rose Hill, Kansas, which is about an hour and a half away. Instead of flying alone, he asked Lillie if he could ride up to Kansas with her. Michael's grandparents said they could drive down and pick Michael up from Lillie's house when they arrived. The day came, and Michael and Lillie made the drive up to Rose Hill. The next day, Michael and Lillie began talking over the phone and playing games online together. That time online turned into time talking over FaceTime. They would chat from around 8 pm until as early as 4 am. On Christmas Eve, as the clock struck midnight, Lillie said something that would shock Michael. Instead of the typical "Merry Christmas," she told him to grab his Bible so that they could do a devotion on the story of Jesus' birth. From that moment on, Michael knew that Lillie was the one. Meanwhile, Lillie had been slowly falling for Michael. When they got back to school a few weeks later, they continued their conversations. They hung out all of the time watching movies, going for drives, and just talking. There was one particular night that Lillie still recalls from that time. It was a rainy night, and Lillie was facing Michael as they spoke in the car. She felt so at peace. They both share the same dreams, the same vision for life, the same aspirations. On January 31, 2025, they went on their first date at Saltgrass Steakhouse in Mansfield, Texas. After their date, Michael asked Lillie to be his girl. She happily said yes and made him stand outside in the cold for 30 minutes while she told her mom on the phone in her car. On March 2, 2025, after their homework date at Panera, Michael saw Lillie looking out of the window of the vehicle at the Olive Garden sign. He figured she was either thinking about breadsticks or something profound, as she had been staring for a few minutes now. Michael asked what she was thinking, and Lillie looked deep into Michael's eyes and said, "I love you." Then, Michael gasped, because he never thought that he would be good enough to be loved by someone this way. He then expressed how much he loved her and told her how he had wanted to say it, but didn't want to scare her away. On July 25, 2025, Michael bought a ring and then went to ask Lillie's dad for his blessing. On August 5, 2025, Michael and Lillie were updating their couple pictures. Lillie spun around, and there was that sweet southern man that she loves, down on one knee, smile stretching from ear to ear, with a ring in his hand. "Lillie Ann-Marie Racchini, will you be my forever and a day?" "Michael Anthony Gillelan, of course." And so, we start the beautiful beginning of Michael and Lillie Gillelan. The love that came from a prayer.