Alyssa and Trevor met their senior year of undergrad at the college they both attended, University of Detroit Mercy. Alyssa was very busy with her final year of women’s soccer, and preparing to graduate and move on to the next chapter of her life. Yet, while it was a crazy time for both of them, it made everything perfect. “In her final semester at school, all the female athletes were sent an email from the coach of the women’s tennis team. They were short one player and would have to forfeit most of their matches if they did not add one more girl to their team. The coach received only one response back, and it was from Alyssa. Alyssa had ‘played tennis with her brothers a few times,’ and figured that would be enough for her to be competitive. She played the entire season and helped them win a few key matches, and made a couple of friends in the process. One of her new friends happened to live across the hall from me. Since UDM is so small, it was only a matter of time before we starting seeing each other around and were officially introduced.”
“I feel that most guys are not gifted with the ability to be creative, and I feel like I certainly fall into that category.” Trevor said before explaining the proposal. “Planning a proposal was hard for me, because I wanted to think of something that would hopefully surprise her in a big way.” Alyssa and Trevor had a trip planned to go to Colorado to visit a couple friends. They planned on going to skiing and snowboarding while they were there. While Trevor had been skiing out west in the past, Alyssa had not. “She was immediately blown away. It was truly a special moment seeing how happy she was, without a care in the world. On the last day of our trip, Alyssa and I were in Breckenridge. We woke up early and were the first ones on the mountain. We took the Imperial Chair Lift to the top of the mountain. This is the tallest chair lift in North America, taking you to an elevation of 13,000 feet.It happened to be so windy that day at the top of the mountain, that they had to shut down the chair lift after we reached the top. As you can imagine, the views up there are second to none, and make you literally feel as if you are on top of the world. In order to have some privacy for the big moment, I planned a 30-minute hike, traversing across the peaks at Breckenridge along a very narrow path. At one point, I stopped to take a few photos, and Alyssa literally slipped and fell down the face of the mountain. She dropped straight down about 30 feet before she could dig her feet in and stop herself. She actually was at the point of giving up and tried to get me to just ski down the mountain with her. But I needed to get her to the destination because I did not have a Plan B, and it was unlikely that we would be able to get back there if the chair lifts were closed. With a little bit of coaching, Alyssa found it inside of her to safely climb up and we were able to make it to our spot. I strategically asked her to marry me at the top of the mountain, so if she said no I could just jump off (lol just kidding). Fortunately, she said yes and we followed up an amazing day on the mountain with an outstanding dinner at one of Breckenridge’s premier restaurants, Hearthstone.”
“Having gone through college at a small school, there were a couple times in our 3 years on campus together that I remember seeing Trevor in passing, not knowing anything about him and thinking nothing of it at the time. However, after having met Trevor and hanging out with him and a group of friends only once, I went back to my college roommates and told them about this narp (non-athletic regular person) who I thought was amazing, and funny and who I immediately wanted all of my friends to meet”
Three weeks after they had been formally introduced, Trevor decided to come up to Northern Michigan with Alyssa to spend the weekend. While he was here, he met Alyssa’s family and immediately hit it off. “The moment I truly knew we were meant for each other though, was when Trevor took a risk and decided to come up to my home to meet my parents and 3 brothers. He had the backup of having one of my closest college friends there with us, but Trevor immediately hit it off with my mom, dad, and brothers. We have a close family, and to see the relationship come together so effortlessly between a new boyfriend and my family members, it felt like Trevor had already been a part of the family for years. That first weekend with Trevor & my family gave me a clear indication of what I had to look forward to in the future.” It was this same weekend that Trevor says was “the key turning point in our relationship that took us from casual dating to a more serious relationship.” Trevor was on his way to dental school and prior to this weekend was not interested in pursuing a long distance relationship. “I couldn’t have been more wrong. I felt confident after spending one weekend with her that she was fun and easy going, and that she made me very happy. I could tell that she was a caring person who would be supportive of my goals instead of keeping me from reaching them. Her family and friends immediately accepted me into their lives, and have also been a blessing to me. We have dated for over five years, and each day I have grown more sure of my relationship with her, and am eager to take the next step.”
This couple enjoys many activities together. “The active, outdoor lifestyle in northern Michigan is one of the main things that drew Trevor up to this area, so ever since then, I have made sure to keep him busy.” They spend a lot of time doing the wonderful Northern Michigan activities. Hiking, boating, and enjoying the beautiful outdoors. “However, one activity that is unique to our relationship is what we call soccer-tennis. This game is played on a tennis court, and is essentially a game of tennis but using the typical rules of soccer, where you can use any body part other than your hands. Trevor and I are both long-time soccer players, love the sport, and it is a way for us to continue enjoying it together. It was one of the first things we did together when we met, and we have been doing it ever since. We have introduced the game to others, but no one has more fun or more competitive games than we do together.”
“The rest, as they say, is history.”
Congratulations on the engagement, Alyssa and Trevor!
