Our Story
December has always felt like more than just the holiday season for us.
It’s a special time of year that holds some of the sweetest milestones in our relationship.
We first connected on the dating app, Bumble, back in July 2017, when we were both living in Minneapolis—over eight years ago now!
I’ll never forget our first date: Mike rolled up on his Suzuki dirt bike, and we rode out to Minnetonka for Ben & Jerry’s ice cream.
He loves to laugh about how I ended up with more ice cream on my hands than in my mouth, and I smile every time he brings it up.
In December 2017, we made our relationship official.
One evening, Mike planned a date night at the most beautiful restaurant in our neighborhood and asked to take our relationship to the next level.
Looking back, we can see how that night laid the groundwork for everything we’ve built together, from our adventures on the road to the home we now share.
That evening wasn’t just about a question—it was a promise to keep growing, side by side, and navigate life’s twists and turns as a team.
In December 2018, Mike told me he loved me while hovering 30 feet above ground.
We were on our first ski trip together in Breckenridge, joining Mike’s friends for their annual adventure. One of us was a seasoned skier, the other one had only tackled bunny hills before—we’ll leave it to you to figure out who was who!
Mike has a knack for gently, playfully encouraging a little risk-taking, and I agreed to give a Black Diamond Run a go. Halfway up the chairlift, 30 feet in the air, he turned to me and told me he loved me.
His timing was impeccable, and it felt like time paused just for us.
We’re glad to say that we made it down the run, though one of us might have spent more time sliding on our tailbone than skiing…
In 2024, Mike proposed to me at a geodome in Michigan a few days before Christmas.
He had made a photobook of our seven years together—from our early years of dating in Minneapolis to backpacking and camping across the Midwest, moving to Kenosha, and welcoming our first baby dog, Astro.
He planned to hollow out the book for the ring, but when Google Photos trimmed the blank pages, he pivoted to a pop-up—then turned the corner and surprised me with the real thing.
We spent the weekend in a snow globe—just the two of us, a blanket of snow outside, and a few curious deer for company.
We’ve spent the past three years living in Kenosha, Wisconsin, only a couple of blocks from Lake Michigan. Last year, we welcomed home a highly sociable and lovable cockapoo named Astro! We may not have every detail mapped out yet, but we’re loving the adventure of figuring it out together!
“My humans are tying the knot, and I’m officially the third wheel!"
-Astro