We met as classmates in the 5th grade at St. Felicitas School. Early on, I thought Patrick was mean because he often talked about people. I steered clear of him to avoid being the target of his jokes. However as we got older, we grew closer and I realized he wasn't the mean kid I thought he was. We went from sharing fruit snacks at lunch in the 6th grade to hanging out outside of class as 7th and 8th grade friends. We maintained a dependable, understanding, and fun friendship for 11 years before we considered dating each other. Then at age 23, Patrick took a risk and asked me out on a date. We went to the movies and took a drive. While in the car, we talked about the possibility of us taking our friendship to another level. As the night was coming to an end, we both decided that a kiss could help us to determine if we should try a deeper romantic relationship or just keep going down the path of friendship. As we slowly leaned in toward each other, we never knew what the outcome would be, but we agreed it was worth exploring. Our first kiss was magical and we wished the moment would last forever. That moment sealed the deal and allowed us to see that our friendship could be so much more.

Adele and I were headed to my cousin's house for a Christmas party. Once we got there, the party was in full swing. It has always been a running joke that if we come separately we will be on time; but today we came together so needless to say we were late. After eating, we played a game or two. Then when that was over, the night was seemingly about over. My cousin Kyra had an idea to start singing karaoke from the TV. Party guests took turns on the mic. I slipped away to the closet where the engagement ring was in my pocket. As people sung, I kept saying "Put on that Brian McKnight." I always expressed that his song "Never Felt This Way" would be the song that I propose to my future wife with. I practiced for months trying to get the pitch just right. It was show time. Come to find out, the karaoke app didn't have my song. So I grabbed the mic and started singing with every word that came out my mouth. With each group of lines of each verse, I took a few steps towards my future. Adele was looking at the screen for the song lyrics to appear and didn't notice that I was singing to her. My heart was beating fast as if it would jump out of my chest. I thought maybe this would have gotten her attention but it didn't. I guess I was the only one that could hear the thud of my nervous heart. Once I stood in front of her, I had her full attention. As the song wrapped up, my knee kissed the ground as if they were long lost lovers that just reconnected for the first time. I opened my mouth and said a few words I can't remember what they were but before I was done speaking she said "yes". I slowed it down and said to her you didn't let me ask you anything. Then I said "Adele, will you marry me" as I opened the ring box. She exclaimed ABSOLUTELY!!!! We're so excited to celebrate this next chapter in our lives with you.