How We Met
Alex and I grew up in the same hometown and went to the same middle and high school. We knew of each other in middle school but didn’t become friends until our junior year of high school. He was on the football team and I was a cheerleader and we had many classes together, so that is how we started to get to know each other. During senior year, we got super close and became best friends by the end of the year. At graduation, we decided to start “talking” and then, by the middle of summer, I got my first boyfriend! Our freshman year of college, he went to play football at Stetson University (an hour away) and I decided to stay local for school. The distance was not terrible, but it was difficult being in a fresh relationship and not being down the street from each other. During our sophomore year of college, Alex decided to end his football career and transfer to the University of Central Florida, which was where I was attending. Having him back to living so close to me led to so many easy and fun times. People that knew and hung around us would always say that we were the “perfect match” and of course I thought so too. We both liked the same things, cared so much for our families and each other’s, and wanted the same things out of life.
Fast forward five years, when Alex graduated college, he received a job offer in Boston, Massachusetts. That was when we had to make an important decision for our five year relationship: do we take this next step together or go our separate ways? I could not imagine my life without him, but that was a huge choice to make for myself at just 22 years old. I have lived in Orlando, Florida my whole life and I spent time with my family every single day and I had the best of friends that saying goodbye to would be hard. But after long talks with my family, everyone agreed that they think we should take this leap of faith, that we were “still young”, and so we took the advice. We packed up all our things, said goodbye to our family, friends, and the only city we knew as home and began our journey up North!
how they asked
Ever since we moved up to Boston, I would mention things about marriage here and there. We made this huge step, moving up here, that I wanted to do the next big thing! Alex would always say, “when the perfect time comes, it will happen I promise” and it was hard to not be annoying about it, but I trusted him. We are both huge New England Patriot fans, prior to moving up to New England and since living here, we have gone to a few games this season. We went to the AFC Divisional game against the Titans on January 13, 2018 and when they won, we decided we were going to tailgate at the next week’s game. Tickets for the AFC Championship game against the Jaguars were so expensive, that we decided we were going to go tailgate to be in the atmosphere and then walk up to a bar next to the stadium to watch the game. The night before the AFC Championship game, Alex went downtown and had a “guys night” because one of his friend’s brother was in town. Little did I know, that they were coming up with a plan on how Alex was going to propose to me the next day.
January 21, 2018, the morning of the game. I woke up feeling under the weather and I texted my mom asking for advice on how to get out of tailgating for the game because I knew Alex would be upset that I did not want to go. Also, I really didn’t want to go tailgate with ten guys and be the only girl there, we did that the weekend before too. My mom really didn’t give me much advice, which I thought was weird, so my next plan was to just tell Alex I didn’t want to go tailgate and that I would meet up after to watch the game. I had to go pick him up at the train station that morning and when he got in the car, it was the first thing I told him. I have never seen him so annoyed at something I’ve said in my whole life. His reaction was so off, and he basically said, “if you don’t go today, I will be so annoyed”. I was caught off guard and didn’t want to fight, so I rallied, got ready, took some Advil and we were off to the tailgate.
At the tailgate, we met up with a few of his buddies and starting grilling and drinking. It was one hour to kickoff and we began to pack up the tailgate and walk to the stadium. I remember thinking it was weird that we were finishing up tailgating so early because we are normally running to the stadium five minutes before kickoff. The whole walk to the stadium, Alex was walking so far ahead of me and I was just hanging out with one of his friends. I thought it was odd that Alex wasn’t walking with us but didn’t think much of it (it was because he was so nervous). As we got closer to Gillette Stadium, Alex said, “I want to go to the front of the stadium to get a picture and send it to my mom”, of him and his two friends. So, we walked to the front of the stadium where I took my phone out to take a snap chat of the stadium and his friend was next to me doing the same thing, or so I thought (he was taking a video to get my next reaction). Then, out of the corner of my eye I see Alex on one knee. In front of thousands and thousands of people. At a place we have shared so many FUN memories with together. At a game for a team we were so passionate about. It took a few seconds to process it and then I saw the ring and immediately said, “oh my gosh, is this real?!?!”. I still have butterflies in my stomach thinking about it. I can’t remember much that he said, but I know it was so many sweet words in one sentence. He got up, hugged me and put the perfect fitted ring on my finger. I then turned and looked at his friends and screamed, “what?!?!” and they ran over screaming and hugging the both of us, jumping up and down. It was such an unforgettable moment. Alex then pulls something else out of his pocket and they were tickets to the game, we were all going to the game!!
Seconds after the proposal, my phone was blowing up with phone calls, texts, and face times of family and friends congratulating us. I was even congratulated by random strangers in the stadium. My heart was so full. The game ended up being the best football game we have ever attended, and they won and are off to the Super Bowl! After the game, we went back to our tailgate where several bottles of champagne were waiting to be popped. I couldn’t have ask for a more perfect day and just to think, I didn’t even want to go that morning. I sure am glad that I got it together and went. Best day of my life. I cannot wait to be Amanda Marsh.
