Let's celebrate!

1. February 22, 2022 is our eighth anniversary (woo!) 2. Two's-day, lol what a pun. We love a good pun. 3. 22.02.2022 is a palindrome! 4. For years Tuesdays have been our consistent day-off together. A whole day of usually just us. We loved the idea of getting married on one too!

continue below if you want to find out more! :)

We met at Miller's Sarasota Ale House working opposite positions in the kitchen. MJ cooking, and me expediting on the other side. I had been working there for years at this point with my sister, Michaela AKA Ale House Assistant GM. Meaning, when MJ's friend (and best-man) Josh got him the interview, my sister hired him and was his direct manager pre-relationship and into dating. Nothing like trying to woo a girlfriend when you work for her sister. Don't worry, he passed all the tests. Working closely together many nights a week, we went from work friends, to out-of-work friends, which eventually evolved to us officially dating in February 2014. Exactly eight years from our wedding date! :)

While getting to know each other we learned we were born 20 miles apart. I was born in Kouts and MJ was born in Michigan City. However, as small children both of our families, about 4 years apart, separately decided to raise us in Sarasota! We went to the same middle school and high school together, had mutual friend groups, and I worked with MJ's best-friend for 4 years before we would actually meet.

Just three months after MJ and I started dating, he left to Michigan City for the summer to help his dad at Swingbelly's, the family restaurant. We decide that long distance is worth it and stay together. During a visit to Michigan City, MJ gets a once in a lifetime opportunity. His father is moving Swingbelly's to a new location; a bigger space with endless opportunity, and wants MJ to manage and run it. MJ's childhood dream of owning a restaurant, particularly his family's restaurant, was coming true. After an evening full of conversation thinking what to do next, we literally said, "ay, this could be a real fun adventure though" and decided to commit to the midwest together! After four months of dating, what's to lose? Eight short months after we started dating, MJ and I packed up our childhood bedrooms, said goodbye to all our friends and family, and moved to Indiana. We've been making a little home in our pocket of the midwest ever since. Fun fact: This Florida girl had never seen snow, or temperatures under 35. Do you know what a polar vortex is? I didn't either.

December 2018 MJ and I were invited to Christmas at my Aunt Marylin's in Cirencester, England. It was our first time out of the country and we were so excited! “The Plan” Mj started communication with Aunt M before we arrived in England knowing he's going to propose while we're there. What better time than our first time to a new country for a holiday?! The first day there, we took a walk of the quaint downtown within walking distance of Aunt M's. I took in views and was oblivious, while MJ was on the lookout for a proposal spot. He found it, but I don't get proposed to this day. A few days later the plan is called to action. MJ needed to lure me out of the house while all of us were baking Christmas cookies in the afternoon, and used the excuse of some forgotten ingredient. In the thick of baking my sister tells me how the four of us (me, her, her husband and MJ) needed to walk into town to get “butter”. **it should be noted that I was a bit skeptical and annoyed. It wasn't efficient for all four to go, and in protest to the idea I did not dress for the event 😆 Once they got me out of the house and into town, my sister and her husband schemed their way out of the situation and left MJ and I alone to "explore". ** I'm still clueless anything was up, but 100% annoyed at the inefficiency and randomness MJ keeps lallygagging to "The Spot". The Spot was a corner with a beautiful, Christmas tree and historical church. Just as I'm asking why we are standing there for roughly the fifth time, increasingly annoyed, and why he kept walking to that same spot MJ chuckles a bit, told me to relax, (lol - he's always telling me to relax), got down on one knee, and asked me to marry him. Me, well being me, said a string of profanities we won't mention here, but eventually got to “Yes!” Bride's Advice: Always go get the butter, but wash your face and maybe do something with your hair first, you might get a diamond instead 💍