💛 In the Fall of 2019, both of us coincidentally ended long term relationships. We unknowingly shared the feeling that it would probably be awhile before we found love again. Serendipitously, one of Caleigh’s close friends, Olivia, also happens to be Jeff’s cousin. Jeff was invited over to Olivia's for a movie night with some of her friends. Caleigh was there and pretty quickly became enamored with Jeff, who was completely unaware at first. After a few more group get togethers, we made plans to celebrate New Year’s Eve 2020 together. A couple weeks later we had our first date at Salt of the Earth in Fennville. Shortly thereafter, the covid pandemic occurred and made us cherish the time we could spend together. That time consisted of lots of homemade meals, VHS movies, craft beers, cocktail creations, listening to records, reading to each other, Lake Michigan sunsets, hiking, hammocking, and birdwatching. After meeting each other's family and committing ourselves to each other, we chose to celebrate our dating anniversary on the Vernal Equinox. We liked the idea of Spring being the beginning of new growth and a fresh start to the future. Over the last four years we have enjoyed many adventures together. Exploring the great outdoors in Michigan's U.P., checking out different parks, museums, and restaurants in Chicago, bourbon tasting in Kentucky, flying abroad to Spain to spend time with family and friends, and most recently, road tripping to Arizona to hike mountains and spot all the birds. This September 22nd, on the Autumnal Equinox, we are making the decision to keep adventuring together, because it’s been really nice to have someone to share all of these sweet memories with. We look forward to celebrating with you all! 💚

💚 We planned a winter getaway to Wilderness State Park over mid-winter break (February 9th - 12th) to celebrate Caleigh's birthday (Valentine's Day). Little to Caleigh’s knowledge, Jeff had been planning other things as well. The cabin in the woods we found was quaint and had a sauna, which we were pretty excited about. Unfortunately, there wasn't any snow so we couldn't go snowshoeing or cross country skiing. However, we came prepared with our binoculars and found some trails to hike. On Saturday, the 10th, we decided to explore the North Country Trail just east of Sturgeon Bay. At about the two mile marker, Jeff said we should turn around to head back if we wanted to catch the sunset. We made a quick pitstop at the car and Jeff swapped the larger yellow backpack he'd been carrying for his smaller green one. I was curious what was in there that we might need that wasn't in the previous one, but decided not to worry about it. It had been pretty overcast all day and I wasn't hopeful of seeing the sunset, but as we got out to the beach the clouds cleared and we saw the sun peaking out from behind them. No one was in sight and within a few minutes we were able to find a rock that was big enough for both of us to sit on. Jeff started opening the backpack and said he had something to share with me. He pulled out a Gwen Frostic card with two hummingbirds circling a yellow flower and started reciting a poem he had written for me. After hearing him share his poem and other loving sentiments, I had a feeling I knew what was coming next. He said, "considering all of this, I have a proposal for you" and got down on one knee and pulled out an artisan crafted wood box. Inside it was green moss, birch bark, and an engraved silver ring with an Isle Royal greenstone. He said the stone reminded him of a Queen Anne's Lace flower on moss (which is one of my favorite flowers). I joyfully replied yes to his proposal! To celebrate, he had brought two mini bottles of Prosecco. We watched the sunset in the bitter cold by the bay, then headed back to get cozy in the cabin and make some homemade, baked Mac & cheese. It was an exceptional day filled with such heartfelt romantic moments. We both cherish the peaceful solitude and celebration we shared there. 💛