The Story of Brian and Emily
Who would have thought that a low-key Frisbee toss on the North Quad of Notre Dame would have been the start of a love story? In April of 2006, just such a thing happened. On a sunny afternoon, a beautiful, athletic girl (according to Brian) from the Midwest stepped outside with some friends for a little fun in the sun; shortly after, a sporty boy with a dazzling smile (according to Emily) from the East Coast strolled by on his way home from class. As it so happens, they have a mutual friend that brought them together, and after noticing they share some pretty wicked Frisbee skills, both agreed that the other was a person worth knowing a little - or a lot - better.
With only a few short weeks left in the school year before a long summer break, the two new acquaintances didn't have too much time to make a good impression - timing was never a strength of the relationship, even in the beginning. They had spent some evenings together in groups of friends, and before parting ways for the season (he to his hometown, she to an internship in the U.P. of Michigan), Brian was eager to vocalize his intent of continuing the relationship when they returned. Emily, though certainly not opposed to the idea, was rather nervous at the eagerness of this sporty boy with a dazzling smile and was happy for a long break to clear her head. And she did for the most part, despite the sudden tizzy that erupted again with the arrival of an unexpected letter from you-know-who.
So back to campus they came in the fall, and the friendship steadily grew - though Brian may not have always felt that way. Regrettably, without being aware of it as can often be the case, Emily tended to ignore some of his best efforts and respond most to his smallest. Poor Brian was quite confused, to say the least! Yet there must have been enough in her growing attentions to convince him to not give up all hope, and by the middle of the semester the two seemed finally to be at least in the same chapter, if not quite the same page. They grew closer and considered the other to be a true friend, looking forward to being in each other's company. The holidays came, and with it a Glee Club concert and formal dance in the Dome: Emily invited Brian to the former, and Brian invited Emily to the latter (and pretty well in advance for being a guy, she had to give him extra credit for that). Both occasions ("date" was still too heavy a word at the time) were wonderful, and they agreed to catch a movie the following Saturday (right before finals week - again, timing...). It seems that both woke the morning having finally been hit by the thunderbolt of love, and had the best intention to breach the subject of a romantic relationship after the show. Brian took the opportunity first, although Emily made sure he understood that she had had the same plan - lo and behold, they were finally on the same page!
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Our relationship as a couple officially began December 9, 2006 and we have had the fortune of growing closer in the four-and-a-half years since. We were together at Notre Dame for the next year and a half, and during that time passed through such trials as Brian's stay in the hospital for three weeks and such wonders as sharing our faith and meeting each other's families. When we graduated in 2008, we began a long period of 2 years apart as we followed our post-graduate paths. Happily, there were as many visits as we could manage - one of which being Friday, February 13, 2009 when Brian proposed! This past year we have had the fortune of being in the same place as we approach our wedding: in May we will both graduate with our Master's degree in Secondary Education from IU Bloomington, after which we will both be teaching science in the D.C. area: Brian at Georgetown Prep High School and Emily at Elizabeth Seton High School. And of course, we will be married on June 25th, and hope you can join us to celebrate!