The year was 2018. Gas was at $2.60 a gallon, you could walk into a restaurant and get a seat without making a reservation, and the word "shutdown" meant nothing to us other than being exhausted and collapsing into bed. They were simpler times.

Nicole recently had some new people move into the top floor of her apartment duplex, and everybody seemed to be gathering out on the front porch for a meet and greet/ hang out session. As she walked outside to sit down, she looked around.

Look at all of these people, she thought. Some familiar faces and some newer ones. She couldn't wait to become friends with everybody. It was at that moment that she looked at the last person sitting down. Her jaw dropped.

In front of her was the most handsome man she had ever seen in her life. She rubbed her eyes. Still there. Not an illusion.

She introduced herself. "Hi, I'm Nicole." The man looked back at her. 'Hey, I'm Brian" he said.

From that point on, they began the most heartfelt, magical, and phenomenal...friendship. That's right, friendship. They spent years getting to know each other as great friends, and had nothing but admiration for each other. They could always count on each other to be there when needed, be an ear to listen to, or watch football with every Sunday.

Flash forward to mid 2022. Brian was single for a few months and had moved into his new apartment. Brian had asked Nicole to come over to help redecorate his apartment, since home décor was not his specialty. Shortly after, something clicked for both of them as they sat talking to each other. They had both watched each other go through thick and thin, and knew so much about what made the other tick. After Nicole was the brave one to make the first move, they both knew right then that this was how it was always meant to be.

Flash forward one more time to late 2024, and each day still feels like the first. A little cliché, I know, but it's true. They loved sitting down to read together, going to visit all of the new restaurants and try new food, and make a google sheet for everything. Well, maybe only Brian did that one, but Nicole went along for the ride.

So Brian got the rock, got down on one knee for the shock, and then they set the clock for May 15th, 2026.

And with that, we welcome all of our friends, family, and Mike to join us on 5/15 to finish the epilogue to this long first volume in our saga.