The first time we met goes all the way back to 8th grade, when this cute new girl showed up at Malow Junior High. Lengthy AOL chats and parties was the start of a great friendship, which carried into high school. After high school, Tony headed off to East Lansing and Susie Kalamazoo. We’d find opportunities to catch up on visits back to Shelby Twp during breaks. One notable memory was our 21st birthday week, where Tony made sure to be the one to buy Susie her first (legal) drink at the bar. After college, Tony remained in Michigan while Susie headed south to Nashville. Susie asked if he wanted to be her date for her brother Miles wedding 8/1/15. Tony was handsome, fun on the dance floor, and fit in perfectly with her family. Being his goofy self, Tony “fake” proposed to Susie with her sister's ring (which I still have). Later that evening while sitting on the ledge of a fountain we shared our first kiss! The long-distance relationship had officially kicked off. Susie returned to MI to attend a Kid Rock concert, followed by Tony traveling down to Nashville to visit. Then on 11/8/15, after lunch in Greektown, Tony officially asked Susie to be his girlfriend while attending a Red Wings game. Both being career driven, we made the decision to move together to Hoboken, NJ. We made the 10-hour drive on Tony’s birthday and had the time of our lives this year in the big city. As you all know, we value our family more than anything! So, we found our way back to the Midwest and have lived in Chicago for 4+ years. The best day came along on 9/4/20. We went on a private wine tour at Chateau Chantel and at the end Tony got down on one knee. Only after the rush of emotions did Susie realize the photographer and drone crew were actually her siblings. The rest of the day was spent wine tasting along with our parents and grandparents. We are enjoying our nice long engagement, but can’t wait to tie the knot with our family and friends back in Michigan, where our story began.