It ended with a cup of coffee. Nicole had just finished an overnight shift at the hospital where she worked as a nursing assistant. Exhausted and without time for a quick shower, she went straight to Waldron, the campus center at Gannon University. Nicole met a large group of people gathering in the hall in Waldron, preparing to give various presentations to the incoming freshman. She had given her presentation several times, talking to new students about how to be involved on campus and the various programs and events Gannon's Activities Programming Board (APB) hosted. This presentation, however, was different. While Nicole was working at the hospital the night before the presentation, Scott was driving to Gannon from his parents' home two hours south. He was asked a few days beforehand to present to the incoming freshman with the president of APB. All summer the student leaders from APB and the Student Government Association (SGA) presented together, but for the last two new student orientations, the SGA president was MIA, and Scott was asked to fill in. The morning right before the new student orientation, Scott and Nicole met in the Waldron Campus Center at Gannon University. The first exchange of hurried "hello's" and "how are you's" turned quickly into an easy, comfortable flow of conversation, which carried right over into the presentation they gave together. After their last presentation to the incoming freshman, Nicole had to lead the annual "Casino Night," an APB event for the new students. Scott knew she had worked another overnight shift at the hospital before the presentation without a chance to sleep. So, right before the APB event began that night, Scott surprised Nicole with a cup of freshly made coffee he brewed in his room. Not a cheap cup of burnt coffee from the small cafe on campus, but piping hot, fresh coffee he ran across campus to make and given in a cozy-looking mug. Scott still makes Nicole coffee every day.

Somewhere in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, he dropped onto one knee and asked that simple four-word question. After almost five years of dating, on a cruise to the Southern Caribbean, Scott and Nicole went to the Steakhouse on board for dinner. To their surprise their waiter was the same waiter they had at the Steakhouse on a different Carnival cruise ship two years prior! This wonderful man recommended an absolutely fantastic meal and later suggested a surprise dessert choice. Although a surprise to Nicole, Scott knew exactly what was coming. Closing their eyes for the dessert to be delivered, the chef entered the dining area with a board of selected chocolates, ice creams, and candies. When Nicole opened her eyes, she also found a question written on the board in chocolate syrup, and turning to her left, she found Scott kneeling on one knee. Clutching the sides of her chair and smiling so hard and long it hurt, Nicole didn't say a thing. It wasn't until a woman on the other side of the dining area yelled "Breathe, girl, breathe!" that Nicole finally uttered a "yes" or an "of course" or maybe nothing quite legible at all... All that mattered was the look they exchanged and the feeling they both shared in that moment.