On the north side of town, in a dying mall, we met in this ol' pizza joint they used to call Old Chicago. It's empty now, but the space is full of memories meeting for the first time, sharing a slice, and walking around the mall. After getting to know one another online, we decided to meet in person. Little did we know it would be the first step on our journey together.

After months of her looking for the ring I hid, I made a fancy steak dinner with potatoes & cheddar biscuits and prepared for a proposal under explosions in the sky. With humidity so high you were practically swimming when you walked out the door, I gave her the ring at dinner instead. Overall, that ended up being a good call. We walked down to the lake not long after for the fireworks show, only to be attacked by a literal cloud of mosquitoes. Still a little light headed from all the blood they took. After smacking ourselves stupid for the twentieth time, we promptly turned back around and cuddled inside watching fireworks on TV. Rest assured, our ceremony won't be by a lake in an Iowa summer.