Mike and Betsy met back in 2009, when Mike was in grad school at Rockford College. They stayed in touch minimally over the years. In July 2019, Mike saw a post Betsy made and commented on it, and they started talking regularly. A few weeks later, Mike convinced Betsy to stop by the bar he was at on her way back from out of town, where she got to meet some of his friends and his mom. That was the start and they officially started dating in September 2019. Through the years they have taken day trips, gone to numerous baseball games, been to several movies, visited breweries, gotten out of escape rooms, and traveled to several states together. Their favorite trip was last summer in Key West. In January 2024, Mike decided it was time to ask Betsy to be his wife. He planned to propose in the gym at school where he teaches and coaches and did so before a basketball game (even though he was quite nervous). Shortly before Betsy was to arrive at the game, she had text Mike saying she may not come. That definitely didn’t help his nerves but he was able to convince her to come. Betsy obviously said yes, and here we are. *if you ask, Mike will show you the video and even recreate what he did*