It's long, but our story was long. We crammed 8 months into these paragraphs 

I first met Phil through mutual friends in college. I always knew him as the huge guy at the club who never smiled and never danced. From what I heard, he was an all around douchebag. HUGE douchebag. 

One Halloween, we run into each other at a party. Despite having known each other for years, it's the first time we actually have a real conversation... and he's NICE. I am absolutely taken aback at how nice he is, because it is the complete opposite of what his face makes him out to be. Our second conversation is months later, when we run into each other at our friend Charmee's birthday party. This time I'm surprised as hell to find out that not only is he nice, but he's FUNNY. What is this? Who IS this guy?

After that we start talking here and there, having random but hilarious conversations. I'm thinking, This is pretty dope, I just made an awesome new friend! Then one day at work, I get a text from Phil saying something along the lines of, "I told her there are no emotions involved, but I really really like Jen so far." My immediate response, "Oh cool.... who's Jen? lol" thinking [hoping] he's referring to another girl.  Silence.  An hour goes by before Phil finally responds to me, confirming my fears that indeed, I am THAT Jen. He had meant to send that text to someone else, but obviously failed brilliantly. Crap, crap, crap. I'm flattered, but I don't feel the same way... uhh, we can still be friends!  

Months went by and we just kept running into each other. These serendipitous encounters were pretty amazing because everything about Phil intrigued me, but I still didn't like him like that. We became really good friends in such a short amount of time when we realized how similar we were in personality. We always had an adventure together, and the more I got to know him, the more I realized he was different from other guys.  

By then it was the end of April, and it almost graduation. Everyone was so excited for the KSA Semi-formal because it was the end of an era for us seniors. We always studied and never partied. Phil was supposed to go with his friend but told me he couldn't make it last minute. I was excited about going to the semi-formal with all my friends, but Phil's news really bummed me out, which was weird because I didn't like him. I had a lot of fun at the semi-formal with all my friends, but my mind kept going back to Phil, or the absence of. Why did I care that he wasn't there? Halfway through the formal, I went to the bar to get a drink. As I got my drink, I turned around and there was Phil, standing in the doorway. HE MADE IT!! 

That was the moment it dawned on me that I liked Phil. 

You know what happened after. He wooed me with his hilarity. and thoughtfulness. and maturity. and everything in between. It was always the little things that made all the difference. i.e. He called me everyday to wake me up for work... for the next FIVE years. Phil always knew how to take things to ridiculous levels. 

That Halloween Jen and I first spoke, she was wearing a mummy costume that she made herself, and it was honestly very impressive.  She may have been pleasantly surprised from me not actually being a jerkface, but I was stunned by her creativity and beauty (I thought she was HAWTTT). 

The next time I saw her was at our mutual friend Charmee's birthday.  Little did she know, I asked Charmee beforehand if Jen was going to be attending her party.  Not stalking, just doing some research.  After a night of ridiculous banter and more chill vibes,  I decided to create more opportunities to spend time with her by partnering up with Charmee for some chance reoccurrences.   So when she thought me showing up  at the Easter potluck dinner was coincidence, it most definitely was not. 

Then, I accidentally texted Jen my feelings (hit 'Jen' instead of 'Jenny') and was rejected gracefully. Since she was so cool about it, I was actually relieved that she knew.  This meant that it was out in the open, and everything from that point on was just deepening our friendship. All of a sudden, we're unintentionally hanging out almost every weekend.  I'm pretty sure she was still oblivious to my motives. The best part of this whole process was that everything felt effortless, and I noticed that I was thinking about her all the time.  I WANTED to drive 40 minutes to Rutgers for the chance to see her. I spent most of my time texting, Facebook messaging, and talking to her on the phone. 

At the KSA semi-formal, the reverse Houdini performance was completed successfully, and apparently that's when she knew that she had feelings for me.  I knew because SHE kissed ME.  For the record, kissing me wasn't the only things she initiated during our relationship.  Two months later, she asked me out too. Our first date was at Red Lobster and aside from the fun times choosing lobsters for each other and eating the amazing biscuits, the thing I remember most was after dinner.   We ended up leaving the restaurant really late (because Jen is the slowest eater on the planet), and the parking lot was empty except for her car.  She proceeded to put the car into reverse, and I bursted out laughing.  She looked at me with a puzzled look, and after catching my breath I explained that she backed out of a spot in an empty parking lot. There are so many of these qualities that make Jen the person she is.  

Jen is the coolest girl I've ever met.  Almost 7 years later, we've grown together as a unit, and she motivates me to be better.  She's patient when I'm being unreasonable, and for those that don't know, I'm the emotional one in the relationship, and she's the cool rational one.  She's been a gift from God, and I'm thankful for her kind hearted soul. I'm honestly the luckiest guy in the universe to be marrying someone that suits me so well, and together we are each others' puzzle piece.  As corny as that sounds, it's true.  Thanks for taking the time out to read our stories.  

Fast forward 5 years

The Cover up: Dinner + Girls' Night Out in the city.

The Slip up: Kim wanted to go get our nails done earlier in the week, but couldn't make it last minute. So Phil took me instead and he stayed there with me the entire time. Uhhh what? That was weird. Something was going on... 

The Mindfuck: The day of, Phil lounged on the couch all day, without a care in the world. OK, if he's this lackadaisical, maybe everything was just in my head. I went to dinner with my girls, and they casually asked questions about my relationship goals with Phil. Halfway through dinner, Kim mentioned her friends from Cali were staying at The Standard Hotel, which was coincidentally 2 blocks away. She asked if we could stop by before the club. Most of us were congenial about the decision, except for Catherine. Catherine decided she wasn't feeling social that day, and didn't want to meet new people. I spent the rest of dinner trying to talk her into going to the hotel. She was being so difficult. When we finally got there, Kim said she was going to introduce me first since I was the nice one. Yes! As the door swung open, I saw a bunch of faces in a dimly lit room, and my eyes focused in on my sister. What?! How did my sister know Kim's friends from Cali?! 

As my girls pushed me inside the room, I slowly took it all in. My sister, cousin, and best friends were all in there. The room was awash with rose petals, and every table surface was filled with flickering candles. Lights were strung from floor to ceiling, along with paper lanterns hanging up above. Then I saw Phil, standing by the window in a SUIT. HOLY SHIT. 

I was so ecstatic I wanted to call my parents right away, but Phil kept telling me to call them tomorrow. Then I asked him if he had dinner with my dad (to ask for permission), and he said no. WHAT. You neglected to ask my father for permission?? OK, whatever, we'll deal with that shitstorm tomorrow. Phil said that we had to head to Midtown to meet up with some friends. 

Everyone split up, and the two of us arrived at Toshi's Lounge by ourselves. As Phil was leading me upstairs, all of my energy was focused on not tripping down the stairs and falling on my face. Then I heard a huge uproar coming from above, so I looked up to see what the commotion was about. It was us. The entire upstairs was spilling over with ALL of our friends. OH MY GOD, this was crazy! All of a sudden my mom's face popped out of the crowd, and she was screaming "Congratulations!!". My dad was beside her, asking me if I was surprised. Was I surprised? I think surprised was an understatement. I was in shock. The rest of the night was just a whirlwind of magic and unicorns. 

To all of you who knew about this proposal, to those of you who were able to celebrate with us that night, thank you again. The one thing I still cannot fathom is how more than 100 of you knew in advance and not one person slipped up!? The only thing I wanted was to be surprised, and each and every one of you were expletive awesome because you made my wish come true.