It was the first weekend after classes started for our sophomore year at Ball State and it was time to unwind. Gabby went to her friend’s dorm room to hang out and relax while Matt was a floor away unaware that his life was about to be changed forever. Gabby meets up and one of her friends asks the group if they all wanted to go hang out with a couple of guys she met during a tornado drill. We said sure, why not? We head down the hall and up the elevator to their room.

We enter the room and I see him. Tall, basketball shorts, and a gray Ball State t-shirt, a typical look for Matt. Gabby and Matt introduced themselves and that was it, not a lot happened there, love did not happen at first sight.

As Matt and Gabby went on to get to know each other better, Gabby realized she needed his help. Matt knew Economics in his sleep and Gabby knew she needed his help. The more they talked and spent time together the more feelings grew. It wasn’t until months later, that Matt finally came to his senses and asked Gabby to be his girlfriend.

There is some debate about whether it was a date or not. You decide.

It was Homecoming weekend and Gabby’s birthday. All Gabby wanted to do was to go to Steak N Shake with her friends for her free Birthday Cake Shake. It did not seem like too much to ask. Gabby was hanging with some dance friends and Matt was probably in his room with his roommate. The plan was for Gabby’s friends to go to Steak N Shake at the end of the night.

As Gabby was walking back to campus, she called all her friends, and no answer. As a last resort, she called Matt. He answered. They talked and Gabby invited him to go to Steak N Shake. He said sure, and Gabby said great. When Gabby arrived at her friends’ room, and they were too tired to go to Steak N Shake. Uh oh, this does not look good. Gabby goes to her car and Matt comes down shortly after.

Gabby said, “I’m sorry but my friends aren’t going, and you don’t have to go.” Matt said, “I’ll go.” They exchanged like this for a couple more minutes, Gabby trying to make it very clear that this was an accident and not an intentional date. Matt still chose to go.

While at Steak N Shake, Matt folds his straw wrapper and asks, “Have you ever played paper football?” Gabby said, “No, I haven’t.” Matt proceeded to show Gabby how to play and they laugh as they play. Matt flicks his straw football and accidentally hits the guy, sitting at the table behind Gabby, right in the middle of his nose. Oops.

We were getting ready to leave and asked the waiter for the check. He brought it over and the check was $9.70. We had each gotten a value meal and because it was Gabby’s birthday, the shakes were free for Gabby AND Matt. What a lucky guy! We go up to the register to pay and Matt says, “I’m Seat 1.” I went up and paid for the remainder of the bill.

Gabby knew it was coming but she didn’t know how it would happen. Matt had said he had it all planned for a specific weekend. It all started on Friday. Matt took Gabby to a hotel to relax, he knew she would be anxious with the anticipation, so it was a good time to relax and connect.

The next day they went to go see Swan Lake the ballet, Matt surprised Gabby with front row seats. They had no idea their venue would be named after the beautiful ballet. It was a stunning performance, and it was very fun to see a ballet together. After the show, they went to Ruth Chris for an early dinner. It was their first time at the steakhouse, and it was worth all the hype. Matt had this day planned out so well. He had a timeline and was checking his phone to make sure they stayed on schedule. After dinner, Gabby asked, “What’s next?” He said it’s a surprise. Matt started driving and headed north. Looking around Gabby was like, “Where are we going?” He shrugged his shoulders and gave a little sly smile on the corner of his mouth and said, “I don’t know.” Gabby knew the road, knew the scenery, she knew they were headed to Ball State. It was where it all started.

It took less than an hour to get there and Gabby was freaking out. She was about to have a full-on meltdown. The nerves were taking over and Matt started to panic because she was panicking. She didn’t want to get out of the car until Matt told her what was happening. He begged her to get out of the car and follow him, while he was also trying to hold it together. She eventually came out of the car and started walking with him towards the Beneficence statue. He positioned them and started talking. He said, “I wanted to take you to the place where my life changed forever.” Gabby cracked and the waterworks immediately started flowing. The moment was perfect, he went down on one knee and asked if Gabby would spend forever with him. She said yes! They embraced as relief and excitement washed over them.

Now they are looking forward to the next big day: the wedding day!