Brandiilyne had just updated her Facebook page to vent about a 20-page paper she had just been assigned in school. In fact, she was completely overwhelmed with back to school and her many other ventures, including running an LGBT group in her pretty homophobic state of Mississippi called The Dandelion Project and slammed with correspondence following her starring role in the recent Showtime documentary by L Word director Ilene Chaiken, The L Word Mississippi Hate The Sin.
She was so busy in fact, that she almost missed the most important Facebook post of her life.
Her girlfriend Susan had posted a most public marriage proposal.
In the close to an hour it took Brandiilyne to finally notice the proposal, Susan started to sweat and wonder whether it was a bad sign that it was taking so long for a response.
Susan wasn't alone, though. With more than 143 likes and nearly 90 comments, the couple had a live audience glued to the post awaiting a response. Some even prayed for Susan.
Finally, nearly an hour later (and what seemed like a lifetime to Susan), Brandiilyne saw the post (though she didn't provide an answer without first asking a clarifying question).
Susan didn't waste a moment responding and then her girlfriend of more than two years offered up the answer she had been waiting for (followed by an appropriate amount of love and fear as demarcated by emoticons).
The two were then flooded with comments of love and support from their friends and family. Just in the comments section of that same post alone, they confirmed a location, a date, and an officiant.
And made their friends cry, including one in the parking lot of Starbucks. Now that's an accomplishment.
Brandiilyne and her now fiance Susan have been together since June 2012.
"We have talked about getting married many times and it has always been in our plans to tie the knot but we just haven't been able to afford a long trip to a State that allows it," Brandiilyne shared with the Huffington Post. "We had decided that we would just wait until same-sex marriage was legalized in a state that was closer and we thought for a moment last week that maybe we could drive down to Fla. but that didn't pan out. I was completely shocked when Susan proposed!"
In fact, when the whole proposal took place, Brandiilyne was actually in their home with Susan there but was in another room talking with a friend (they were holding a meeting for the Dandelion Project). After replying to accept the proposal on Facebook, "I walked into the bedroom and wrapped my arms around her! It was totally romantic! And it was awesome that she waited until our Dandelion Project meeting so that all of them could be a part of it as well!"
The two had just made plans to visit a friend in California, inspiring Susan's proposal. Of the public proposal and recent public display of their lives, Brandiilyne said, "We have had an incredible amount of support as everyone is messaging us and congratulating us! It has been amazing!"