Tanner and I met at Flathead Lutheran Bible Camp in Lakeside, Montana. It was my third summer out there being 'camp nurse' for the week, and his second summer bringing a group of kids from his church and staying to volunteer. We officially met on the back patio during the volunteer meet and greet. I remember thinking he had a cute smile, and beautiful blue eyes! Over the course of the week we bonded over our mutual love for coffee, camp, and the mountains. We even went on a paddle boarding excursion! (He is terrible at paddle boarding and fell in almost immediately). I remember feeling at ease around him in a way I never had around someone before. I was drawn to his goofy personality and witty sense of humor. At the end of the week as we said our goodbyes, I surprised myself at how sad I felt knowing I might not ever see him again. We exchanged numbers thinking we'd keep in touch and maybe grab coffee while he was passing through Rochester when he goes home to visit his family in Iowa. I boldly called him (yes, I went straight for the phone call!) the day we left camp. I didn't think we would date long distance, but all I knew is I wanted to talk to him. Fast forward 14 months of long distance (which included lots of plane and car rides) and one giant move across the Country in November last year and here we are! Our love story is messy and a little complicated, but our foundation on God, love for one another, and willingness to make our relationship work (even in the longest of distances) has led us to our forever!

I knew he was proposing soon, but I didn't think it would be this day. We were 'celebrating' a year and a half together on this day and I thought "he won't do it today. He thinks I'll be expecting it today, so he won't." We spent the day doing the things we love. We made a big breakfast together (our favorite is fried eggs, bacon, and fried zucchini mixed with potatoes). After breakfast, we stopped at one of our favorite coffee shops (spyhouse). After we'd had enough caffeine, Tanner had arranged for us to take a tour of the James Hill mansion in St. Paul (we LOVE touring old mansions). When we were done with that, he suggested hiking in the Lake Elmo park reserve. It was a beautiful 50 degrees outside, so I agreed. Throughout the whole hike we talked about our relationship, and all the things we had done in the past year and a half. We talked about how much we loved each other, and what our future held (I still had no idea he was going to propose). It was there, in the middle of the woods that Tanner got down on one knee and asked me if I would spend the rest of my life with him. I said YES!