[Written By Crystal]

"Rewind to five years ago. It was our Junior year of undergrad at the University of South Carolina. I’m sitting in the Russell House with one of my best friends, waiting for my next class, and glance over her shoulder to notice a familiar face looking my way. (Familiar because I’ve seen him around campus— not to mention he was a starter on our football team) It was Nick. I look away, then look back, and he’s still watching me. At this point I’m thinking, “this is awkward,” so I smile and sarcastically wave. He waves back. Little did I know, I was looking into the eyes of the man I’d say yes to spending the rest of my life with.

We would run into each other again at a bar in Five Points. This time, with the courage of a few drinks, I walk up to him and say hello. Finally having a chance to chat, Nick asks me out to lunch, and ironically, we end up having this lunch in the Russell House. We’ve been inseparable ever since.

Fast forward to November 24, 2017. It was the Friday after Nick’s birthday, and we’d planned a birthday dinner with family and friends at The Melting Pot. After we finish eating, Nick gets up to thank everyone for coming and we sing the Happy Birthday Song. The lights are dimmed, and once we finished singing, someone behind me calls my name. When I turn around, I find a few of the restaurant’s staff holding plates that read “Does the ring fit, Mrs. Jones?” In shock, and in tears of joy, I turn around to see Nick on one knee. I said yes."