On December 30th, 2021, a seemingly uneventful day, Brandy was thrilled to learn that her boss was closing the office early due to the impending holiday. As she was mentally debating how she would spend her extra hours, her coworker, Amy, invited her over to the house of their coworker and mutual friend, David Miller ("DM"), to watch some of the college football bowl games. The last thing Brandy wanted to do on an early day off was to get home at the normal time or later, but Amy was persistent and even threw in "there may be a single guy there." Brandy finally relented and agreed to go, but for no more than a half hour.

Once at David Miller's house, Brandy was introduced to some of his friends--Mike Weaver and David Dodds--and found an empty seat cattycorner from David Dodds. They initially made small talk about some of the bowl games on TV, but soon began to discover that they had quite a bit in common. For example, both had studied Psychology in school and had been teachers. The conversation was natural and the banter came easily. By the time they were each ready to depart, it was clear that there was something between them. David, with a little encouragement from Amy, extended a specific invitation for Brandy to join them all at his house the next day (New Year's Eve) for an oyster roast and fireworks. Brandy doesn't eat oysters, but she is a sucker for fireworks...

On New Year's Eve, Brandy joined DM over at David Dodds' home. While en route, DM informed Brandy that David had a cool house and a lot of projects...Brandy was expecting a dozen half-completed tasks and lumber and sawdust everywhere. Instead, they drove up to a tidy home in the country, with grow boxes and a sauna--quite unlike anything Brandy expected. Although David sat at a distance throughout the day as they all watched football in his garage, he graciously waited on her throughout the evening. At one point, the crowd had thinned and only David, Brandy, and their friend Marianne remained. Marianne slyly began delving into who David was by asking him questions about himself, allowing Brandy a glimpse into the man she was already beginning to like. During one topic, upon hearing David's answer and seeing what he was all about, Brandy thought to herself, "I could fall in love with this man." His rendition of "Brandy" by Looking Glass and accompanying dance moves sealed the deal. Well, that and his request just after their private fireworks show to take her on a proper date.

Before she left that evening, Brandy and David had exchanged phone numbers and made plans to spend New Year's Day together. On New Year's Day, they spent more time with their friends and colleagues, watching football and enjoying another delicious spread. And, once everyone else left, Brandy and David spent hours in deep conversation, discovering who the other person was. By the end of that night, Brandy thought, "I could marry this man," and she soon shared this thought with friends and family.

Over the next several months, Brandy and David were inseparable. They traveled together, enjoyed great food (mostly prepared by David), spent time with friends and family, learned where each other was raised, attended church together, became each other's closest friends, supported each other through difficult moments, shared in many joys, and began to create a new family with David's daughter, Abigail. This completely unexpected gift was just what each of them needed, and they knew that God had led them throughout their lives to this point, to find each other.

On November 25th, 2022, David took Brandy to her favorite place. Just before sunset, nearly alone on the beach save for a few older couples on their evening strolls, David asked Brandy to marry him. David was so unlike what Brandy had once imagined for her future husband, but so much more than she'd hoped and prayed for. For a checklist-maker, trained over-analyzer, well-known indecisive person, one might expect that Brandy might have mentally reviewed a pros/cons list before answering. But there was no coin flip to help decide, no list made, no friend phoned. There was only the answer "yes," and it was said confidently and naturally, for it was obvious that they were a match made in heaven.

And, now, they welcome you to join in the next chapter in their story, as they become husband and wife...