The official start to our relationship began in the spring of 2020, right around the time everyone went into lockdown due to COVID-19. This meant our first dates consisted of Mike traveling back to Minnesota to visit Anastasia, and Anastasia traveling to North Dakota to visit Mike, after both sets of parents insisted on us leaving our college lives and returning to our respective homes until the pandemic was more under control. However, that isn't where the story began. Long before we endured 8 hour drives to see one another during a pandemic, we were just two friends in college together. In the fall of our freshman year at the University of Minnesota, where we were both on the Track and Field team, we met in the 17th Ave dorm, alongside our class of track teammates. We became very good friends, very quickly, and stayed that way for years. Many of our friends tried to encourage the possibility of a relationship between the two of us, but we both denied any possibility of this and used the classic "we're too good of friends" excuse. It wasn't until a certain party and a certain game that our true feelings emerged, and we decided to give a relationship between us a chance. Fast forward a few years and although we are still great friends, we are so happy with the turn of events that brought us together to be more than friends. And we are so excited to celebrate the start of our forever with all of you come July!