When I first moved back to Boston, a friend had pointed Steve out to me after church as a potential date. However, we officially met at a basketball fundraiser... six months later. Steve was set to go with my roommate but, I decided to tag along last minute. At the end of the night, I thought to myself "he would be a good friend." And from there on out, I was determined to become his friend. That next week, our household invited him and a few other guys over for dinner - at which, he spent most of the night talking to me. My roommates were convinced he was interested. We spent the next couple of weeks texting and a few more hangouts. Slowly, it became apparent that something was starting. Steve, from the beginning was so thoughtful and a great friend. He brought over cheesecake for our apartment, he helped my roommate put together her new chair, he was always offering to serve and lend a hand. In May, Steve and I grabbed lunch. We sat and talked for three hours about our pasts, our families, our relationship with God, and what we were wanting to do in the future. I knew then that I really liked this guy. It was another month ... filled with more deep conversations, impromptu hangouts, and an embarrassing moments (on my part) for us to start dating.

Officially, we met at a charity basketball fundraiser. I was planning on meeting up with a group of friends to cheer on the people playing. I was driving up after work with Cori's roommate Katelynn, and she called me last minute to tell me that Cori would be riding along with us. As the night unfolded, and lots of laughs were shared between the three of us, I knew I wanted to add Cori to my friend group. That Sunday was Easter and not only did Cori wear a stunning dress to church, but she also invited me over for dinner that week with her household and a couple other guys. When I went over for dinner, I'll deny this, but apparently I spent the entire night talking with Cori. As the weeks unfolded, we spend a good amount of time talking and texting. A good number of spontaneous events were planned so I could hang out with her more. A trip to a flee market, after work dinners, grocery shopping... I knew I was done for... Soon after, I got confirmation she was too. While at work one day (which also happened to be Cori's birthday) I received the greatest text message of my life. I kept receiving pictures of myself, followed by a description of where I was located in the picture. It was Cori texting me... These were clearly not meant for me, she happened to be texting one of her friends about me and accidentally sent the pictures to me instead of her. She almost died that day, but that was one of the best days of my life.

It all started in January Steve was really excited that Cori was going to be joining him in Tampa, for one of his favorite events: Playmakers Bowl. Unfortunately, the tournament did not go as planned, Steve tore his ACL. This is very important to the story, because unknowingly to Cori, Steve was planning on getting down on one knee less than a month later. Fast forward a couple weeks and a few fake proposals to his PT, Steve was physically ready for this grand event. Steve coordinated with Cori's best friends for the proposal. He wanted it to take place in Rockport, MA. Back in September, they went on a day trip that proved to be a special one as they both left the trip knowing that they were in love. The plan was for Michelle to take Cori on a trip to Rockport for girl time. Meanwhile, Steve and a few of Cori's best friends were setting up the proposal in the Rockport Music Performance Center. Leading up the the proposal, Cori started getting suspicious. After a comment made by a friend, she realized Steve might be proposing sooner than she thought. As most girls do, Cori started to over analyze everything ... whoops. By the time that day came, Cori woke up thinking "by the end of today I could be engaged." Once in Rockport, Cori was growing more anxious, looking for any signs of a proposal. Michelle at one point insisted that they go to the beach to pray. As they sat there, Cori was rather distracted at every person that stepped foot on the beach. She had to prepare her heart for the idea that it might not happen today. Walking back, Michelle suggested they stop by a wedding venue to check it out for the future. Cori said no and had to be practically dragged into the Performance Center. As soon as the door opened, all she could see was Steve. In the background, a love song was playing and the closer she got to the stage to meet Steve, she noticed her best friends were in the balcony. Cori only had to help Steve a little...when he got down on one knee!