Even though we grew up 15 miles away from each other, (Brandon is from Worthington, and Kim is from Adrian) it took Kim moving to Minneota and a whole LOT of speech meets before we wound up together! It all started in speech tab rooms across southwest Minnesota. Kim was a new coach trying to make a name for herself with the established coaches in the area by sorting critiques and acting as an all-around 'gopher,' and Brandon was already on the inside working the computer tabs. Our paths crossed frequently, but let's just say we weren't on the same page just yet... Then COVID-19 hit. Our favorite activity and Saturday pastime changed significantly. Kim was super nervous about running an online tournament, and that cute coach from Worthington, Brandon, was super confident. Both of us headed to Adrian to help Joyce McCarthy-Kim's high school coach. The day ran smoothly thanks to Brandon's expertise in working with the online platforms necessary that year. We had a lot of fun that day, hanging out and talking-which at that time, was something missing for many of us! Fast forward a couple weeks, and Kim was still not very confident in running a live, online tournament, so she asked Brandon to make the long trek to Minneota to help, which he was glad to do with the added bonus of spending more time with Kim. The day went really well, and again we found we really enjoyed being around each other and working together (foreshadowing anyone???). The one thing Kim wasn't really happy with was the food we ordered for lunch! It was not up to par, so she thought she'd kill two birds with one stone and asked Brandon to supper to make up for it. And Brandon said...NO! He had somewhere he needed to be. He says it was because he was nervous at the time, so a couple months later, he asked Kim on their first official date at the Grain Exchange in Slayton. Over the next year, we continued to grow our friendship with texts, speech meets, going to the theater, movies, sporting events, and hanging out with mutual friends. Almost a year later, we made our relationship official. On May 10, 2024, the anniversary of our first date, Brandon got down on one knee and asked Kim that special question, and here we are! We are so excited to share our special day with all of our friends and family!