How we met:

I moved back to Michigan after 10 years and was starting to look to purchase my first home. For months, I told my father I didn't want to use his realtor (friend of the family) because I didn't want to mix business with pleasure. After 9 months of agony of not finding a house I called his friend Janice Whitman (Best Realtor in Michigan). Within minutes I knew she was the one to get it done! Within the first 10 minutes she said " I just sold a house to a girl your age, works from home and has a dog- you should be friends!" Well we became friends and she invited me to Tigers Opening Day in Detroit April 7th 2017.

Ironically the day before Tiger's Opening Day- I had just closed on my first home! Story of my life, I meet the man of my dreams as soon as I make the largest financial investment as a 30 year old woman! :)

After being away from friends and family for 10 years, setting up my career, and purchasing a home I was more than ready to find "the one". It was a 29 degree day in April, in Detroit, and we were introduced in a parking garage- and I was wearing a full parka, scarf, hat gloves, and snow boots! As we all know Dan has a heart of Gold, but his mouth gets him in trouble and he had finally met his match! Little Miss Sass, and Class was about to give Mr.Schuster a run for his money!!! LOL . He claimed he was from "Carleton"- well we all know that I am REALLY from Carleton, graduated from Airport, and know almost everyone. He moved when he was 16, hardly the same ;) We bantered back and forth for hours and around 6ish pm I excused him to leave so I could meet other people. I think he took that as "challenge accepted". He ended up finding me on facebook afterwards and I full throttle played hardball! After a few days of facebook messaging and texting he asked me to "hang out". I politely told him in our 30's we don't "hang out" but he could take me to dinner or a movie I really wanted to see (fast and furious) and I only had one day over the next week because I was leaving for Europe for 3 weeks. He graciously accepted and we had our first date in his Chrysler 300 fast and furious style of course! :)

The Proposal:

As you can tell after a year and half we fell madly in love! Which leads me to the proposal. The weather forecast was clear, but in true Michigan form it snowed, sleeted and rained! He told me we were going to Rochester to the light festival but had a secret plan in mind! He texted my mom to take my dog, bear, and drove us to Frankenmuth. We were stuck in traffic and on the way my best friend, Zarah, called and we talked for over an hour on the way up. Once I saw the BirchRun outlets I was like whats going on here! Where in the world are we!?!??! Being direction-ally challenged I had no idea where we were.

It was like a scene right out of Sex and the City, with the most beautiful horse and carriage ride around the town! White carriage decorated with Christmas lights, and a dark horse with all of his armour. It made my heart melt! We walked through the town, the bridge to the lodge and the lighted walkway over by the waterfall. We went for a second walk on the wood covered bridge and by this point it was full rain, turn to sleet, turn to snow. I was in the same parka and snow boots as the day we met! My hood was up and couldn't see and we were both freezing! We kept circling the wooden bridge and I was thinking to my self " this is how Dan is, this is my life- but what are we doing?"

We drove home and as soon as we walked in the door I ran upstairs and put pj's on to warm up! As I was on my way down the stairs Dan said " hey can you grab my cards out of my coat pocked" I replied " what cards??"

I walked over to the closet at the front door to his coat and felt a ring box and freaked out!!!! I took the box out of his pocket and said "NOOOOO Im not supposed to touch this!!!!!" and as I turned around he was on his knee and I handed it to him as I was in shock that I wasn't supposed to touch the box! He grabbed my hand and said " Baby, will you marry me?!?!?"

I literally plunged him and cried my eyes out and as hes still on his knee he goes " um Im getting old and still on my knee on wood floors can I get up" and I was like OMG yes and once he stood up again I hugged him and cried again. Dan goes " So.......is that a yes??!?!?!" After a long cry of happy tears and delayed response of course I said "YES!!!!" I couldn't imagine spending my life with anyone else! :)