It’s hard to pin point an exact moment when I first met Erin, but it had to have been in the second half of senior year high school in 2011. We went to a big high school (700+ in our graduating class) so our paths had yet to cross, but senior year we had two classes together, Physics and Spanish. One of my groomsman, Max, was in both of those classes and he seemed to have a decent friendship with Miss Erin so I knew I had my angle. I then proceeded to woo the young Erin in some Español. Surprisingly, Spanish happened to be the only subject I was better than Erin at, but she especially had me beat in physics, well anything math related really. So I began plotting my first move which turned into asking for her help on our physics homework and had her over after school. One thing led to another and help with high school Physics homework turned into help with college Calculus homework our freshman year. I attended Miami University freshman year while Erin was at Ohio State which meant a lot of long and late night phone calls. My Best Man, Brennan, was also attending Ohio State and convinced me to sign up for the Columbus half-marathon that fall. In the back of my mind I was already planning my visit with Erin. The following year I transferred to Ohio State and never looked back. Over the next few years we celebrated many accomplishments together as we both pursued our degrees. Somehow, I convinced Erin to move to Michigan shortly after we graduated where we are both happily employed at Ford. And now we are so excited for this next adventure in life!

One week in September I got news that my Grandma Taylor had broken her hip. I asked Brandon if he wanted to go home to Cincinnati to visit her. Unbeknownst to me, he had been secretly talking to my parents and my brother, Zach, to devise a plan to get me to Cincy and thought this was a bit extreme of a lie for them to tell. Unfortunately that was not the case, but nonetheless, we were on our way home. That weekend, Oktoberfest was happening in Cincinnati and my parents asked if I'd be interested in going. As much as my mom insisted that I put on a sundress or fix my hair, it was an 85-degree football Saturday so naturally, I stuck with my OSU tank top. After unusually heavy traffic while heading downtown (with my whole family constantly commenting on the time) we finally made it downtown to Oktoberfest. However, instead of stopping to enjoy the festivities, I was led behind all the booths passing up delicious looking pumpkin cream puffs, soft pretzels and fall beers. At this point, I have no idea my parents and Zach are trying to lure me a few more blocks away to where Brandon is hiding. My mom did the only thing she could to get me away from those tasty snacks - tell me my Aunt Laurie just showed up and we should go meet her. As we walked to meet Aunt Laurie at Smale Riverfront Park, my mom suggests we stop for family photo-ops at multiple places along the way. Once again, cream puffs anyone? Well, I keep going along with these crazy photos and at the final spot while standing by my dad and Zach, Brandon pops out from behind a bush. With many onlookers, Brandon got down on one knee. It could not have been more perfect! Yet, there was one more surprise. Brandon made reservations at the Montgomery Inn Boat House right after the proposal where his family surprised me to celebrate, too! Brandon crafted the perfect proposal at one of our favorite places and it made it so special that he included both of our families as well.