It was fate! There is no other explanation for how we met that day. It felt magical. Living in downtown Madison, the streets were chaos that morning due to the race. Unwilling to lose my parking spot, I biked to church and grabbed lunch. While eating, I met a couple who had never watched the race, so together we found a spot to see the runners. It was hot out, so when I was offered a beer from a couple of fun spectators across the street, I accepted! Before I went home, I crossed the street to thank them for the beer. After sitting at home bored, I recalled the cute redhead’s invitation to join them if I wanted to come back to the race. Going with my gut feeling, I biked back & found him. Our conversations flowed naturally and his blue eyes and sarcasm had me right away - we just clicked! He took me on our first date that night. Realizing how much we had in common, he asked me three times if we should get married then or wait. I suggested we wait, but my heart told me that night & every day since to never let him go. So, two and a half years later when he asked me for a fourth time, I said YES!!!

She was going to be my wife—she just didn’t know it yet. My brother must have been on about mile 16 of his run during the Ironman Wisconsin Race. I was there to watch him, but instead I was watching my sociable friend chat up a cute blonde across the street. He offered her one of our beers (it was a Founder’s All Day IPA: a fine Michigan brew). Eventually her and I were sitting and chatting as the athletes made their way through the last leg of the race. She was kind, funny, and of course—beautiful. What really struck me was how incredibly easy it was to spend time with her. We talked for hours and headed towards the finish line. I asked her if I could take her on a “date”. She accepted, and we went to dinner that night. I think I proposed two or three times that night. Those proposals turned out to be predictions: we talked every day for a year and a half; she moved to Michigan; now we’re getting married. From the day I met her, I knew that I could stand next to this woman for the rest of my life, and that is exactly what I intend to do.