Growing up in Indianapolis, Kim Lewis and Brandan Distel's lives were intertwined before they ever knew each other.
"She was on some youth teams with my sister," said Brandan.
"Our dads went to high school together," said Kim.
It wasn't until 2014 that they met through mutual friends - and one of the things they bonded over was their mutual love of sports.
"We don't really like going to nice steakhouses - we go to Fuel games, Pacers games, Indians games," Brandan said. "We've been Colts season ticket members for two years now."
Five years and countless sporting events later, the questions were getting more frequent.
"My mom asked me the other day, 'Are you going to get married?'" Kim said. "I was like, 'I don't know.' She asks me probably every three or four months."
But this time, Brandan was one step ahead of her.
"I went to the Colts website and applied for a contest to win a ring and do the proposal here at the game," he said. "Part of the contest was I had to write an essay about why we deserved the ring. In that essay, I mentioned that sports were a bonding mechanism for her and I. We are both officials for IHSAA, I do football and she does softball and volleyball."
"We loved their story," said Robert Violante, General Manager of Diamonds Direct in Indianapolis. "It was very genuine. It was heartfelt. And they're big Colts fans and big sports fans all around. They're both from Indiana, so it was just a great combination."
Violante and his staff chose Brandan and Kim for the game day proposal - and got right to work.
"I planned on doing this around Christmastime," said Brandan. "There was a lot of working behind the scenes with Diamonds Direct to get the size right and the ring picked out and working with the Colts, asking her father for her hand in marriage - all of this took place in about 10 days when I thought I had a few months."
Brandan told Kim they were chosen to play a game during the Colts game against the Houston Texans on October 20th.
"He said he filled out something online to sign up for these games and he won and we had a chance to win Super Bowl tickets," she said. "I was like, 'That would be cool. I've never been to a Super Bowl.' I kept thinking of him and wanting to go to a Super Bowl game because he's never gone either."
When Sunday came, Brandan was having trouble keeping it together.
"I was very nervous this morning. I was shaking a lot. She was like, 'What is wrong with you?'"
During the first quarter of the game, representatives from the Colts escorted Brandan and Kim onto the field to play the "What's in the Box Challenge."
With three boxes lined up in front of them, Kim had to reach in and try to guess what was in box A.
She correctly guessed a kicking tee.
Brandan was up next.
He reached into box B and with a few hints, correctly identified a jock strap.
Box C was Kim's turn again.
As Brandan stood beside her, she tried and failed to identify an open ring box.
When she pulled it out, Brandan dropped to one knee and asked her to marry him.
"I couldn't believe it," she said. "I was very surprised."
She said yes.
And instead of making plans to go to the Super Bowl, they're making wedding plans.
For Violante, it never gets old.
"This is our third proposal on the field," he said. "We are in the diamond business and we sell engagement rings every single day, but to be able to see a proposal in action like that - especially in front of all these people - it's very powerful."
In Kim, Brandan found someone to encourage, inspire, and cheer him on.
In Brandan, Kim found someone who always has her back.
And in each other, they found a teammate for life.
Congratulations to Brandan and Kim!
We wish you a lifetime of happiness, victories, and celebrations together.
