Most folks in Baltimore know Gilman as a k-12 boys prep school. Known for its great football team, and superb lacrosse (I'm biased to both because of my brother and my dad), this school is one of the best in Baltimore.

However, I know it as home. It also happens to be the place where Patrick and I fell in love.

I grew up at Gilman. Most my life has been spent there. Throughout middle school and highschool I walked to and from school. Little did I know, that I walked pass by the very baseball field that the man of my dreams had competed on on all throughout high school. I probably walked passed him while he played Gilman all 4 years of high school and we never knew it.

When Patrick and I started dating, we would take walks all throughout campus. Take the dog on a walk. Swing on the swings. Walk the track.

November 7th, 2011.

Patrick and I were out on a walk. He stopped right by the Culver Outlook on campus, looking up at the buildings. He said,

"How long do you think this place will be here?"

I responded...

"Probably longer than our lifetime. It's over 100 years old."

Patrick said

"Good. This means we can always come back here."

Then he asked if he could kiss me. Of course I said yes. This was the first place Patrick kissed me.

3 years later. March 8th.

Patrick proposed to me in the exact same place where he had kissed me almost 3 years prior. He wanted a place we could come back to in the future. He wanted to propose where we could bring our kids back to and possibly even send our future sons to. He knew Gilman was more than just a school to me. He knew it meant family and he knew it meant life together forever.