We met in graduate school at California State University, East Bay and each had very different first impressions of each other. "I remember seeing him our first day of a prerequisite class. I was sitting at my desk and in comes walking this big, broad guy. I looked him up and down and saw that he was in sweats and flip flops! I thought 'ew' and payed no more attention." -Rachel "I remember seeing her in one of our graduate classes for the first time. She usually stayed to herself and worked on her class work and homework. I tried to talk to her and flirt with her, but she didn't give me the time of day. I was quickly shut down" -Michael Ryan While we worked on obtaining our masters degrees, we began studying together and developing a friendship. After a few more study dates, pizza and burrito dates, and trips to Southern California, we fell in love.

On Friday evening, I went about my business as usual. I had a referee course to teach the next morning so I went to bed around the normal time. Michael Ryan was staying up because he wanted to clean the kitchen and tidy up a bit. Eventually morning came and I noticed a note on my lunch. I figured I'd wait to read it until a few other things were finished. Once I began brushing my teeth, I figured I'd multitask and read the note. It was a love letter from Michael Ryan stating his feelings towards me and how he wanted to take the next step with our relationship. He then stated "if you agree with this...look on our bookshelf." I looked at one of the bookshelves and didn't see anything. Looking at the next one, I saw a note that asked "Will You Marry Me?" As I went to go check the box yes, I then noticed the ring box! I turned around and saw that Michael Ryan was peeking around the corner. I had to go to the bathroom to rinse out my mouth, as I still had the toothbrush. I told Michael Ryan to "hold on" and cleaned up. I then stated "Thank you...that's very nice..!" I then hugged him and he asked "So does that mean yes..?" And I said "yes!". He then got the ring and got down on one knee and placed it on my finger. We kissed, celebrated, hugged, and then I had to go to work!