Ali and I met online in October of 2018, only to cross paths for the first time in November of that same year. Ali was studying in Minnesota & I (Mitchell, if that wasn't clear) in Wisconsin, but after a month of talking we had arranged to meet in Madison while visiting friends. The start to this momentous meet-cute was like a page out of a fairytale: a noisy car without power steering, MUCH later than planned, and in a dark alley. To this day, I still blame Madison for the parking issues! Fortunately, Ali was willing to overlook these obvious red flags. Being avid Christmas fans, I took Ali to a Christmas light show at the local zoo where we walked around chatting for hours. Though we had never physically spoken to each other before that moment, I was blown away by how effortless our conversation was. Eventually, our date together had come to a close and I faced a feeling as bittersweet as one could imagine. I knew in that moment that I loved Ali (crazy, I know) but was unsure of the path before us due to distance/college/etc. Was the connection that we shared enough to make it through? Well, nearly 7 years later, I'm proud to say that it was! Since then, we have shared many memories together: from surprise parties to concerts and countless road trips. After graduating college together, we made the move to Minnesota and have since begun establishing roots in our new home turf with our wonderful puppy, Millie. In October 2024, I had planned a weekend getaway in Door County where I would propose to Ali. Our weekend went off without a hitch, all leading up to Cave Point Park, where we would take pictures right before dinner. Subtle, I know. I had hired a discreet photographer to take pictures of the moment and meticulously researched the perfect timing for the proposal. One thing I had failed to research was, even in the chilly Fall season, Cave Point is a popular cliff jumping destination… And wouldn't you have it-- just as I was about to get on bended knee, a 10-year old cliff jumper ran right in front of us only to chicken out after mulling over his options for what seemed like an eternity! I like to think of it as a bit of a "full circle" moment. Not every milestone is picture perfect, but when you're able to spend those moments with the right person, they sure feel like it. It all worked out in the end, as we left Cave Point engaged to be married! Though this has been a telling of how our engagement came to be, it fails to paint the picture of how much love and support we have received from all of our friends and family. For that, we are eternally grateful. We're elated to share and celebrate this moment with you all and look forward to seeing you very soon! Love, -Ali, Mitchell, & Millie