We first met at a church kickball game in November 2022 but later realized that we briefly matched on Hinge a few months before!
Nick made the first move. He got Madison's number after the kickball game and kept sliding into the DMs on Instagram (December) until Madison decided to take him up on his offer for a date (January)! Fun fact: our first date was on Friday the 13th and happened to be Madison's Grandma's birthday.
Nick: Bringing Madison home to Michigan with me Madison: Nick teaching me how to ski! Only a few weeks into dating, we joined a friends' group ski trip in Utah. I had never skied before. Yes, I was AWFUL! However, Nick didn't seem to care. While attempting some scary runs, it became evident that Nick is THE most patient, kind, and compassionate man I had ever met. I'll never forget skiing with Nick.
Nick: We love to be active, so you'll typically find us at the gym working out together. We also love being lazy and eating pizza on a Friday night inside. Madison: I second Nick's answer and would add on -- I love going out for a drink together. Yes, Atlanta has some pretty rooftops and creative cocktails, but what makes it most special is spending undistracted time together. Our date nights feel like stepping outside of time and leaving behind the usual busy-ness of our lives.
Nick: It has to be our very first date at Antico's Pizza in Atlanta. The pizza place was SO packed that we had to eat the pizza in Nick's car. Very romantic :) Madison: my entire life I've automatically sworn off sushi (without even trying it) because I don't like fish or seafood. However... Nick convinced me to try sushi. He made reservations at a place called Bully Boy, and now I look forward to sushi dinners together. It's not that sushi is my favorite meal, but in a way this makes the list of "best meals" because of how accurately it represents our relationship dynamic -- Nick encouraging me to go outside my comfort zones and live more adventurously. (Okay, bold statement about a guy who still won't try coconut... but you get the point.)
Nick: I had two separate dreams from God after praying for a sign that she was the ONE. The first I introduced her as my wife in the dream. The second, we were on a boat and looking onto land. I saw an aisle and chairs and I said "that's where we are going to get married!" I knew that was all I needed after that! Madison: God told me Nick is the "one" throughout the whole relationship, but He confirmed it in the fall. Nick had a medical emergency at the end of October 2023. In the midst of rushing to his apartment to bring him to the hospital, spending the *entire* night awake in the ER together, and taking care of him in the weeks to follow I knew I would have done anything for him and that I wanted to get to be the one who will always be here for him.
Nick was sneaky! He set up several dates throughout April and May so I wouldn't suspect anything. We went to Stone Mountain in April for a sunset picnic date night, and I (Madison) totally thought it was happening on that date. Little did I know the ring was still being made at this time. However after Nick realized how gorgeous the sunset views were up there, he added this to his list of potential locations. Backstory #1: My sister, Brittney, has been in Boston for the past year for her first year of dental school. Her finals just so happened to end the week leading up to Mother's Day, and she had plans for months to come home for that. Backstory #2: a year ago Nick bought me a film camera from an antique store when he visited NYC with some buddies. I used this as shelf decor for a year because I assumed it wouldn't still work since it was from the 50's. In April, Nick "borrowed" this camera and got it refurbished. A few days before the proposal he got the camera back, surprised me with it, and suggested we go to Stone Mountain on Friday before heading home to spend time with my family for Mother's Day weekend since Brittney would be home. We went up to our spot on Stone Mountain, enjoyed the views, and that's when it happened! Beautiful.
Nick: Exploring our relationship together and our relationship with our Savior more and more everyday Madison: 1) Being a part what God wants to do through us -- If God thought we would glorify Him more single than married, I don't think He would have brought us together how He did. 2) Living together / doing life together! 3) Building on our relationship through new adventure, new challenges (Nick is the king of signing up for crazy races), and new community. 4) God willing, one day we'll be able to buy a house (the ATL housing market is crazy) and do renovations to make it our own. Nick has a good eye for this sort of thing, and surprisingly I'm pretty handy with tools. It'll be a fun challenge to invest in together. 5) Having a family!