Engagement

Trisston thinks those that know her would agree that it is very difficult to surprise her.  In fact, Trisston's family and friends gave up a long time ago. That is until March 2007, Brian, her boyfriend at the time, and Trisston were asked to speak at the Transition Conference put on by Auburn University. We were asked to be THE banquet speakers.  Honored by the request, we graciously accepted and made plans to attend.

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Live! Laugh! Love!

Burrows Family

Brian and Trisston have the same disability, Cerebral Palsy, but it affects us differently.  Brian walks with a large gape and has a speech impediment, while Trisston uses a scooter for mobility. We have never allowed out disability to serve as a barrier to live our lives to the fullest.  We met in June 2006 at the Youth Leadership Forum at Troy University in Troy, Alabama.  We were both speaking on the Independent Living Panel. Because Brian and Trisston lived in different cities (Brian in Auburn and Trisston in Birmingham), we only got to see each other on the weekends. We worked on the presentation for the banquet then. We were so excited about having the opportunity to share with others about the abilities of people with disabilities.  It was also a big deal because this would be the first time we would actually speak together.

​As we prepared, many ideas came to mind as to how and what to present. After all, either one of us being accomplished speakers, could have taken the allotted time by ourselves. After much brain-storming, we constructed an outline and divided up the topics each of us would speak on.  Brian designed the "B&T" brochures to be handed out. For our finale', we created a PowerPoint presentation which showcased highlights of our lives set to the song "Somewhere Out There" by Linda Rohndstadt and James Ingram. Unknown to Trisston, this would lead right into the surprise of a lifetime.

​On March 13 2007, the evening of the banquet, we took the stage.  Everything was going according to plan. We each spoke using the word A-B-L-E as an acronym telling stories from our own lives and sharing words of insight & encouragement.  Our PowerPoint presentation was a big hit! Trisston admitted that each time she saw the slide show, she got teary eyed. So you can imagine how happy she was when she made it through without crying.

As the lights came up and the audience applauded, Trisston made preparation to leave the stage.  That is until Brian said, "There's one more thing".  Trisston, not having a clue what he was up to, quickly looked at her notes and thought "No there's not!" When she looked up, Brian was on one know in front of over 500 people asking Trisston to marry him.

​WOW! Talk about a surprise! She had no idea that he was going to ask her to marry him that night. Nor did she know that he had gone to her parents the week before to ask for her hand in marriage.  Nor did she know he purchased a ring. Suffice it to say, she was totally surprised!

Of course, she said "YES!", we embraced, and the crown erupted in celebration. There was not a dry eye in the house.

​Brian and Trisston would like to extend our heartfelt appreciation to out friends and family for your words of encouragement, support, love, and prayers. Also, we would like to thanks those of you who were at the banquet for being a special part of our special evening.  It is a night we will never forget.