I remember the day I met Bryan very clearly.  My friend Niccol and I had plans to hang out and decided to look for somewhere to watch the UFC fight.  She had mentioned that her friend Bryan was going to be having the fight at his house and that she would let him know we were coming by. 

I don’t remember much about the first time I actually saw Bryan but I do remember that the more I talked to him, the more I liked him.  He was casual and funny and I began to notice his genuine smile with sweet dimples. 

We ended up playing on a beer pong team together.  Bryan thought it was hilarious that every time I made a ball in to one of the cups I would clap about it and what he called “over-celebrate”.  I remember when I laughed it was not because I was trying to be cute or flirty but because it was just so natural.  It felt like I had known him a long time and I was laughing with one of my best friends.  Little did I know, he would become just that and more; my best friend and true love of my life. 

Danielle and I met through a mutual friend of ours, Niccol. The night that we met, I was actually planning on going to my brother’s house to watch the Jones and Sonnen UFC fight. However, those plans fell through. So rather than going out, I decided to just stay in and invite a few friends over to watch the fight instead.  For whatever reason, I posted an open invite through facebook, which I never do. “Getting the fights tonight for anyone who doesn’t have a place to watch it”. Luckily enough, Niccol, who I haven’t seen in a couple years, responded that she wanted to come and asked if she could invite a friend with her.

From the very moment she walked in, I was drawn to Danielle.  She had so much positive energy surrounding her.  The first thing I noticed was her smile, it was infectious. She looked genuinely happy. It just seemed like every place she went, people were happy as well.

Needless to say, I wasn’t the only person who noticed her.  So throughout the night, I made every attempt to try to talk to her.  My last Hail Mary attempt was to invite her to play a game of beer pong with me.  This invitation should have failed miserably. Fortunately enough, she told me as long as I drank her share, she’d play. The one thing I remember perfectly from that night was how she celebrated after we won. Definitely not an “I’ve been here before” celebration, but I loved every minute of her hand clapping and "in your face" enthusiasm. 

So many things lined up just right for us to meet, and I’ve been grateful for every single second of it since.