Let the adventure begin

Joe and Brooke first met during junior year of high school through mutual friends. Back then, they were just two people in the same orbit — often crossing paths in group hangouts but nothing more than friends at the time. Life took them in different directions after high school, but they stayed in touch here and there over the years. Fast forward to senior year of college — Brooke was at the University of Minnesota and Joe at Winona State. One fall weekend, Brooke’s best friends, Snow and Tiff, suggested a spontaneous trip to escape the city and see the fall colors. As they brainstormed places to go, they thought of Joe and reached out to see if they could visit and stay at his place for the weekend. Joe said yes, and that weekend became more meaningful than any of them expected. After that trip, Joe and Brooke kept talking — more consistently this time. What started as a friendly reconnection gradually turned into something more. Once college ended and they both moved back home, things started to fall into place. They began spending more time together, and in July of 2021, the two officially started dating.

Since that summer in 2021, life together has been full of adventures both big and small — from weekend road trips and cozy nights in, to cheering each other on through career moves, moving in together, and traveling as much as we can. And of course, one of our favorite adventures yet: getting engaged in June 2025, just outside of Winona — the place where our story began to shift from friendship to something more. What started as a friendship in high school grew into something neither of us expected, but everything we could’ve hoped for. Now, we're so excited to take the next step — surrounded by the people who have been part of our amazing adventure all along!