We like to think there was an invisible string connecting us long before we ever met. We didn't know each other in high school, but we grew up just an hour apart- and our paths crossed more times than we'll ever know. Our high school sports teams played each other often, so many times we were cheering in the same gyms, completely unaware of each other. Looking back now, we were always meant to meet exactly when we did.

College is where the invisible string finally brought us together. We both ended up at Iowa State University- a place that already held a special place in our hearts. Living in the same dorm, on the same floor, just different ends of the building. We shared the same friends, so we had hung out as a group a couple times. Then one night after exploring campus with friends, Annie asked Ben to watch a movie together, and the rest is history. Like so many love stories that begin on Lake Laverne, we had found our person in a place that would forever be even more special to us.

During our Junior year of college, Ben got the opportunity to do an engineering co-op in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin for Mercury Marine! This was a great opportunity for him, but it meant we had to continue our relationship long distance. We spent this time counting down days till our next visit, late-night calls, and weekends that were always too short. After his co-op, Ben came back to Ames to finish school and Annie got a full-time job in Des Moines. When Ben graduated and returned to the same place for his job, the miles remained, and our long distance dating life returned.

After a couple months, Annie packed up her apartment in Ames and moved to Wisconsin with Ben. While we have lots of great memories; adopting our cat Murphy, camping, hiking, and exploring, we knew that Fond du Lac wasn't our home. We spent time talking about our dreams and where see ourselves settling down, and as fate would have it, Ben got a job offer in Duluth, MN!

A month after moving to Duluth, we planned a camping trip to Gooseberry Falls. After a full day of exploring, hiking, and enjoying the sun and sand, we went to watch the sunset at the Black Sand Beach. We laid out a blanket and started skipping rocks, and as Annie turned around to grab another rock, Ben was down on one knee with a ring in his hand and asked Annie to marry him. That will forever be the best camping trip of our lives, and makes camping even more special for us.