We grew up just a few blocks away from each other, and became close friends at school around 7th-8th grade. We bonded chatting backstage at our middle school theater productions, going vegetarian together, and sharing a great group of friends. We ended up going to our senior prom together as friends and then went to different colleges, but finally got together and started dating after our freshman year. Our solid foundation helped us navigate a few years of a long distance relationship as we each pursued our own ambitions at the U of M and St. Olaf, along with some time abroad for each of us in Germany, Spain, and India. Once we were both finally back in Minneapolis, we moved in together and grew especially close working from home during the pandemic in our one bedroom condo. Last year, we bought a house in the Longfellow neighborhood of South Minneapolis, and this summer we brought home a new puppy, Phoebe! We feel so grateful to have these shared experiences together and can't wait for all of the adventures to come. We are so excited to make it official and celebrate with our friends and family soon!

We went on a weekend trip to Duluth (one of our favorite places), and were enjoying a sunny February day of snowshoeing. We drove down to Park Point Beach ("to get a good look at the water" according to Blake), walked along the icy shore, and he got down on one knee! Annie was completely surprised, as Blake had been sneakily ring shopping with help from her sister, Katie, along the way. We celebrated afterwards at one of our favorite breweries, Bent Paddle, and had tons of fun sharing the news with family and friends!