Colleen’s everyday #ManCrush is her husband, Eric Flood.

Q: Tell us the story of how you met...

A: We first met at a St. Patrick’s Day parade party! I was attending my first “drink all day” party with friends that I hadn’t hung out with in a while. A few hours into the day more of the friend group showed up, and someone I didn’t recognize… Eric. After I got the scoop that this handsome man was single, I got a little giddy. I was too shy to say much to him, so I just took part in conversation with everyone per usual. One of my guy friends asked me what I thought of Eric and I told him I thought he was REALLY cute. So of course he told Eric (yes, very high school of us). From there, as the day passed by and more drinks were had, we both weren’t so shy anymore. By the end of the night we seemed like a couple to anyone who didn’t know us. Once the night was over, we exchanged numbers and he sent me home safe in a taxi. He was the perfect gentleman.

Q: What makes him crush worthy?

A: Eric is someone you fall more and more in love with each passing day, even when you think you couldn’t love any harder. Physically, Eric has the whole package; his height, strut, athletic bod and that adorable grin that makes me weak in the knees. And while he may be gold on the outside, he is platinum on the inside. No matter the day, time or place Eric is the most caring, compassionate and warmhearted man to the ones he loves. Without batting an eye or passing any judgement he will listen about your hard day at work, your disagreement with a friend or your irrational mood swings. Whatever the dilemma, you can tell he truly cares and wants to hear you - not just see you. That is what make Eric so crush worthy!

Q: What's your favorite story about the two of you?

A: One of my many favorite stories of us was the day I said "I love you" for the first time. I remember I was super nervous because, well, you know… what if he didn't feel the same way? Anyways, I was too chicken to say it out loud, so I decided I would write it down. We were painting one of the bedrooms in the house at the time and he left the room for a minute, so I wrote in paint as big as I could on one of the walls "I LOVE YOU". Then I just kind of stared at it, but I knew I was ready for him to see it. I called him into the room (my voice super shaky) and when he came in he didn’t notice my not-so-little note at first. Then I pointed to the wall. He was quiet for a moment, then gave me the biggest hug and kiss as he said "I love you too, Colleen". It was the most magical feeling and a moment I will never forget.

Q: Tell us about the proposal!

A: Eric’s proposal was like something you would read in a fairytale. We had planned on taking a half-day one Friday to take a hiking trip to Letchworth State Park before the fall leaves were gone. Little did I know Eric had a completely different plan in store. Eric knows that my coworkers and I play crossword puzzles during our lunch break, but I would miss the puzzle that day because of our trip. So I was greeted at home with a crossword puzzle Eric created for me to do while I ate lunch. Each clue was something special that we had talked about or things in our house that we have silly names for, etc. Once I completed the puzzle, the highlighted boxes spelled out “PACK YOUR BAGS WE ARE GOING TO NIAGARA FALLS”. He then handed me a list of things to pack and we were on our way.

After we drove over the border (yes, we went to the Canada side!) we checked in at a beautiful hotel to a suite that I of course knew nothing about. As we entered our room, I opened the door and was flabbergasted by the beauty of our suite. I ran over to see the view of the Falls and there was a huge bouquet of roses, tiger lilies and elephant ear leaves sitting on the table. At first I thought they were fake (they were so gorgeous!) and proceeded to open the blinds to see the view - man, was it breathtaking. As I turned to see where Eric had gone he said “I have one more surprise”. My heart started pounding as he got down on one knee and gave me the speech of a lifetime, followed up with “Colleen, will you marry me?” I didn’t even know what to say; the blinding of the ring, the tears in my eyes, the thumping of my heart… it all felt like a dream. I screamed “YES” and I think “YES” like, five more times. Then I calmed myself, realized the flowers were real and I wasn’t dreaming, and we celebrated with a champagne toast and strawberries delivered to the suite. We spent the rest of our weekend there enjoying that unforgettable moment and the start of our new journey together!