Our story begins in the Q1 of chiro school where we first met. We were in the same section and by the grace of God we ended up in the same friend group. Our 1st of many convos was in the school store and I remember having such a high opinion of him after only a few words. Our next memorable conversation was the back of palp class, he came in late and got stuck with the squeakiest chair known to man. After a couple minutes of his chair squeaking obnoxiously, he leaned over and asked if he could share the bench I was on, I agreed, anything to end that horrible noise lol. We talked and turns out we were both super nerds obsessed with Star Wars. I went home wondering if I might be in danger of developing a teeny crush on this amazingly sweet guy, who happens to have the best arms I’ve ever seen, who’s as much a nerd as me. Then there was a game night we were both invited to. He came in late again, this time straight from the gym & in a BACKWARDS HAT. I was simultaneously hoping he’d sit next to me and that he would ignore me completely. To my happiness and chagrin, he sat right next to me. We played JackBox and other games and I had SO much fun. At the end of the night he walked me to my car and helped me carry out my chairs, he was the only one at the party who noticed me struggling through the door and down the stairs. I protested at first seeing as I’m perfectly capable of struggling all on my own but he helped me anyways and he was so sweet about it. He was so genuine, he wasn’t trying to make me feel weak, just being truly kind. And for the first time I didn’t feel the need to punch the guy trying to “help.” Something was different about him and I tried to pretend I was totally unaffected by his unintentional charm. Later on at lunch we were talking about how hard it is to find a church, and Forrest was talking about how much he liked the one he had been going to. So my friend and I planned to meet him next Sunday at the 9am service to try it out. Sunday came around and right before I left my friend texted. Her dog was sick & she wasn’t going to make it. I decided to go anyway but I didn’t message Forrest because I didn’t know if it would be weird for it to just be the two of us, I may have developed the dreaded ✨feelings✨, we cannot have that. Maybe I’d get lucky and he will have forgotten all about our conversation. My master plan? I’ll just go sit by myself and say I didn’t see him, whoops! Crisis averted. But then somehow, in a church of over 1000 people, he happened to come through the entrance right next to where I was sitting and he saw me right away. He sat by me for the whole service and I kept trying to hide the fact that I was so nervous my hands wouldn’t stop shaking. Afterward, we small talked about the service and went our separate ways. UGH. I can’t stop thinking about him, what was wrong with me? Finally I talk to my friends and sisters telling them I might be in a smidge over my head, feelings… who knew I had them? Then the next week we had a long lunch break and he asked if I wanted to come with him to Cook Out. I was planning to starve till after school so I said yes, and of course because I’m a nut and can’t have feelings, invited my friend to come with. She seemed all for it till I told her Forrest was taking us and she suddenly decided she was busy. Weird, but okay. We got our food and while we were sitting in the Cook Out parking lot Forrest confessed he had feelings for me and gave me the most romantic, sweet, genuine speech I had ever heard-something out of a movie. He was so incredibly clear in his intentions and what he felt and that dating was something he took very seriously. I was blown away, until that moment thinking men like him were a figment of my imagination only found in books. I told him I was interested too and really wanted to pursue this with him. After our conversation finished, BeReal went off so I took one with him thinking what a cool memory to have… & the rest is history.

I knewfor a while I wanted to marry Brianna, I always feel her love & kindness when we are together. I wanted to do it in the right order & with the way our calendar fell this past year I had limited time to carry out my plan. On our summer break, we would be seeing Bri’s family in Arkansas at a cabin high in the Ozarks. Bri & I talked about how I needed Chris’s (Bri’s Dad) blessing before proposing so after driving to AR through some nauseating turns, I asked Chris to go on a walk with me. We planned to go the next morning to a special spot called Chapel Rock that overlooked the Mtns & Buffalo River. I asked Chris for permission to marry Bri & he had figured my question out before we arrived, embracing me with a yes, giving me godly advice from scripture & his own personal bank of knowledge. There were a few spare moments where I got to speak with Eve (Bri’s mom) as well, I told her it was important to me that I included her in this, giving her a hug & asked if it was okay I married her daughter. Having the blessing of Chris & Eve I felt a weight lifted off my shoulders.My parents were over the moon about Bri so the only nervous part was coming home to tell them. Bri & I parted ways as I returned to MI for the 4th of July. My Mom rents a cabin on Port Huron & we enjoyed the lake. At the end of the week my aunt teased my mother about already knowing I was proposing to Brianna (she had no idea)-& I told my parents my wishes to propose to Bri. When talking to my Mom & Dad about proposing, their instant approval & love of her made me so happy. It all felt so perfect, the only thing now was following through. Bri’s sister, Aliya, was having a senior trip that the whole fam was going on to Sunset Beach, NC. I asked her if it was okay to add the proposal to the itinerary, she said it would make it more magical. I found the ring, and Brianna & I made our way to the beach. We arrived that night & enjoyed being around the Sims clan, but looking at the weather, the whole next day was 100% chance of storms. I thought my plan was ruined, but the lord as usual does the unexpected. that Saturday, August 10, 2024 was a beautiful day. The wind was blowing hard but besides that it was nice. We spent our time on the beach, my mind drifting between the fun of swimming and mentally preparing what I would say to the girl I love. We reached the end of the day & it is time for the big moment.Bri’s family always takes pictures so I knew having an excuse for everybody looking nice wouldnt be hard. Everyone got ready and headed to the beach.while walking Chris, Aliya’s boyfriend Liam, and I turn back because “we forgot the tripod”, in reality we were setting up a surprise party for our return. We set up everything & made our way to the beach, my heart racing so fast I thought I may pass out before we arrived. Once we got there the girls had picked out a perfect spot. Chris asked the sisters to get together facing away from the camera so I could sneak up & get down on one knee. With their backs turned, I assume the position & tap Bri on the shoulder. All my brain can think of in this moment is “at least say I love you don’t just panic”, she turns and I ask her, “Will you marry me?” Her smile lit my heart up like a firework and hearing her say yes made all my anxiety wash away. My best words are usually in odd moments when I cannot copy things down because I am driving or in the shower. But I love Brianna with all my heart. I am thankful the lord put her in my life and used her to bring me closer to him. I love her singing, her laugh and when she repeats back the sentences I say that made no sense because I had a small seizure. I love her nerdiness & her excitement to help others. I love how passionate she is about her friends and family. I love how she treats Bones (her/our cat). I love her for 1000 reasons. I just wanted to add this part so everyone knew that she is a light in my life, giving me the greatest highs and the most wonderful peace.