We're getting married!

Technically, Erik and I met on social media in high school. We started talking, and pretty quickly we were hanging out. He asked me out within the first week, and I remember thinking, “Wow, he’s bold!” But honestly, I was so into it. He was good with words, sweet, funny — and it just felt easy. It honestly felt like I’d known him forever, even though we had just started talking. From there, things moved really fast, and soon we found ourselves doing long distance. I went to college at Stout, and Erik went to UW-La Crosse. We made it work for two years before I transferred to La Crosse, and even though we didn’t live together, just being in the same city again made everything feel so much more real. That’s when I really knew he was my person. After graduation, Erik got into PT school in Utah and moved out there. I stayed back at first but quickly realized I didn’t want to be without him. So, I packed up and moved to Utah too. Those two years we spent there together were some of the best years of my life — we met some really amazing people and played SO MUCH golf. It was the beginning of building a life together. Once Erik finished school, he had clinicals in Arizona for a year while I moved back to Eau Claire to keep working. It wasn’t easy, but we made it through. After his clinicals, he came back to Eau Claire for a bit, then got a job in Woodbury, MN. I was still in Eau Claire at the time, but it didn’t take long before I knew it was time to be together again. So, I made the move to Woodbury — and now we’re here, finally in the same place, planning our life together. Our story’s had a little bit of everything: long distance, big moves, late-night texts, A lot of golf, and so much love and support through it all. From a random Snapchat in high school to now, it’s been a journey, and we’re so excited for what’s next.

I remember the details of how we started talking a little differently than Bri, but that is neither here nor there. What is consistent between our stories is that she has spent countless hours planning, driving, job searching, and adjusting to life in new places to allow us to stay close. Early on, this was making time between two busy schedules to see each other for a few hours every week or two. This quickly shifted to planning a weekend or several days to spend together while we were living further apart. More recently, since being together in Springville, Eau Claire, and Woodbury, it's been so much fun to make time for hobbies we share and include each other in our individual interests. I'm excited to continue supporting each other's personal growth and passions while pursuing life as a team.