We met in College. We both started at the University of Michigan Dearborn and joined Greek life at the same time. Our paths crossed many times as our organizations held events together, we also developed many mutual friends. One semester we ended up in the same Art History class (one of those boring pre-requisite classes that you have to take). Our friendship started there, we studied together and helped each other with homework (Shereen more so helped Noel). We grew to be great friends, we spent so much time together many people thought we were dating even though we weren’t at that time. Eventually stronger feelings began to develop, there was no doubting how much we cared for each other, so we decided to prove everyone else right.

What started as an ordinary day, Sunday June 24th, 2018 turned out to be something special. Busy with new house projects, we looked to get out of the house and take some time to ourselves. Shereen has a budding passion for photography, so we decided to go to the Cranbrook Gardens to snap some pretty pictures. We walked around the grounds for hours enjoying each other’s company and taking in the beautiful gardens around us. In the back of the property there is a very nice Japanese garden that we discovered. We stopped to take a few photos of a picturesque red Japanese style bridge over a stream with a little waterfall. As Shereen stood in the middle of the bridge trying to capture a photo, Noel surprised her by getting down on one knee and asking her to marry him. We had talked about getting engaged but Shereen was still very surprised on this unsuspecting Sunday in June.