Our Story
2018-2019
Marcus and Bella first met in eighth grade, where they shared many classes and laughs together as friends. They were asked by their peers and teachers many times if there was anything between them, and their teachers played matchmaker with the seating chart, too. This gave them more time to grow in friendship, but it wasn't until freshman year of high school that romance became a possibility. They spent many months in a "pre-dating" phase, lasting from January until September 2019. One Saturday morning, Marcus initiated a surprise flower-picking at Wiltse's farm, where Bella was working. She was ecstatic when she saw him in the greenhouse, bouquet in hand, ready to ask her to their sophomore homecoming. She gave her first whole-hearted "yes" to him. After their first kiss in November 2019, following two months of meeting family and deciding whether they wanted to officially start dating, Marcus asked Bella to be his girlfriend. This was her next joy-filled "yes".
2020
Just four months into dating, Marcus and Bella were separated for many months but decided to make it work with FaceTime calls, Cup Pong via iMessage, and frequent texting. They visited by social distancing in their front yards and dropping off goodie bags full of each other’s favorite snacks. When they started their junior year in the fall, they were ready to finally have the chance to spend time together. They said “I love you” for the first time in August, right before Marcus’s 17th birthday. Around this time they started a tradition of getting Chick-fil-A after school and chatting in the car, which they still like to do today. They also began experimenting with new recipes in the kitchen, much to his parents' dismay every time they left it a mess, haha! Suffice it to say that within their first year of dating, Marcus and Bella became inseparable.
2021
As junior year came to a close, their relationship continued to deepen, marked by Bella’s invitation to join in her first trip to the family cabin in Wisconsin that summer. It was there that Marcus began exploring college options, and together they toured the University of Minnesota Duluth. As he started his applications, the possibility of long-distance became real. By the start of senior year, they were considering colleges all over the country, and slowly began applications as they were simultaneously swept up in the activities of their final year: senior sunrise, football games, and homecoming, among others. In October, Bella attended a college fair where a representative from Missouri State University encouraged her to apply and pursue scholarships. Marcus did the same at the University of Wisconsin–La Crosse. By semester’s end, both had been accepted by their respective universities, leaving them with important decisions about their future paths.
2022
After receiving news of scholarship offers in February, Marcus and Bella made the choice to enroll at schools 600 miles apart from each other. It was not an easy decision to make, but they knew graduating with minimal debt would put them in a better place for a future together. Neither was truly aware just how difficult long-distance was going to be, but they were determined to make their last months together count. Saying goodbye in August was the hardest thing they have ever had to do, and the first few weeks of college were very lonely. Going from twenty minutes to ten hours apart was a massive change. After moving away, Bella and Marcus were relegated to seeing each other a few times per year, a couple days at a time. Dealing with homesickness and separation, the pair did what they could to stay connected; communicating through Facetime calls and Snapchat. Thanksgiving and Christmas were wonderful reunions, during which Marcus and Bella spent as much time together as possible.
2023
Though difficult, Bella and Marcus’s relationship continued to grow through the first few months of college despite being apart. After a relaxing winter break with an exciting visit to Marcus’s family in California, it was time to travel back to their respective schools for spring semester. In March, Marcus joined Bella’s family in Disney World, where the pair first seriously discussed the possibility of marriage. They saw how long distance was strengthening their connection, and they knew that their relationship was worth any distance. Following that trip and two more months of school, they were reunited, and spent a well-deserved summer break visiting farmer’s markets, going on dinner dates, cooking summer recipes, taking a mini trip to Lake Geneva, and soaking up precious moments in each other’s company. Sophomore year came quickly, and while saying goodbye didn’t become any easier, they had confidence that the love they shared could get them through another year apart.
2024
While their second spring semester was full of the usual stress of school, a highlight came when Marcus visited Bella at MSU for spring break. He got to see the campus and get a glimpse into her usual routine. Bella got the same chance to visit Marcus in La Crosse that summer. There they toured campus, visited coffee shops, and frequented the local ice cream parlor. These visits meant the most to the pair, as it was a chance for their college lives to merge. It was also this summer that Marcus began to live in La Crosse full time to take summer classes and work. While there, Marcus began to look for a ring, as he knew for sure that Bella was who he wanted to marry. With his college years waning, he also knew it was time to begin thinking ahead. Many months later, Marcus asked Mr. Humm for his blessing. By November 2024, the ring had been completed and was ready for the proposal, which Marcus began anxiously planning.
2025
Come spring break, Marcus arranged for a friend to take photos of the proposal. Under the guise of a nice dinner and a spring photoshoot, he brought Bella back to a nostalgic place, got down on one knee, and asked her to spend forever with him. She gave him her final whole-hearted and tearful “yes”. Returning to school after such a meaningful moment was tough, but they got through by reminiscing with their beautiful photos and daydreaming of their wedding day. In the fall, Marcus went to Missouri with Bella as she settled back into college, both to steal a bit more time together and fully experience her life at school. They spent their days hanging out with her friends and visiting her favorite spots in Springfield. After a week in Missouri, Marcus travelled north to finish his final semester at UWL, while also beginning to submit applications for graduate school to earn his master’s. In December, he graduated with a bachelor’s in history with his family and Bella proudly watching.
2026
After many months of not-so-patiently waiting, Marcus and Bella have finally been able to set a date for forever. Now, they are blissfully planning their wedding celebration and the end of their long-distance journey. The years of separation have undoubtedly been worth it to be in the place they are today - Bella ready to graduate in May with a bachelor’s in nutrition and dietetics, and Marcus with a full-time job, saving for graduate school and their future together. In more exciting news, he was recently accepted to his first choice of master's programs at the University of Wisconsin-Madison! In the past six years they have been blessed beyond comprehension, with their family and friends loving and supporting them through the highs and lows of their journey thus far. Their time together has been full of determination, courage, laughs, sacrifice, growth, faith, and above all - love.