How We Met
Junior year of high school I had just recently moved to Columbus,Ohio from Oviedo, Florida and was nervously sitting in my AP biology class. I had only of met a few people so far through joining the cheerleading team and this handsome guy Erik (who was sitting not three feet away from me) happened to be one of them! Although I was dating someone else at the time and he was interested in someone else as well, we became friends and through fate (although we didn’t realize it at the time) he became my assigned basketball player for that cheer season! My relationship, as well as his, did not pan out and we both ended up needing a date for homecoming as it was rapidly approaching. One night I found Erik standing at my front door with a stuffed animal flamingo and four red-velvet cupcakes; I could hardly believe that he had actually remembered that these were my favorite things from a simple conversation at lunch! I knew right then that this guy was going to be special. Homecoming came and went and our friendship grew stronger and closer. October 31, 2012 he asked me to be his girlfriend and gave me a reason for the first time to actually enjoy Halloween.
how they asked
A little over three years has passed since we started dating, but not much has changed! Although we look older, we still act just as goofy as we did back in high school. It once again came time for what we refer to as “Christmas with the Kerrigan’s” (a way for our families to celebrate Christmas together early since my family spends the actual holiday a few hours away) but something was different this year. Erik’s brother and sister-in-law were joining us for the first time to celebrate the holiday before they head off for Norwich, England for the next two years for work. It’s now party night and to no one’s surprise Erik was pumped and ready to open gifts right away! With both families sitting around in the living room we started passing out and opening presents. It comes time to open the last gift and to my excitement it’s for me! I pick it up and the sound of what I guessed to be about a dollars worth of pennies shook around inside. I open the box to find a giant jar of all my favorite color M&Ms! How exciting! I once gave Erik a jar of M&Ms for a gift, one for every day we had been dating, so I thought nothing of him reciprocating the kind thought! I almost set the jar down to head off for dinner when I realized that something was written on them. I slowly pick one out to find that it says “Will you be a Brandt”, Erik immediately gets down on one knee and although I can’t remember a single word he said besides “will you marry me” I know that it was perfect! He slid the most incredible vintage ring on my finger, my parents brought out a cake, and the whole family cheered and cried together! I cannot imagine a better time than the Christmas holiday while already celebrating Jesus, to be blessed to spend the rest of my life with my best friend. I love you Erik, now and forever!
