What was meant to be a quick first date on August 12, 2014 over oysters and Happy Hour turned into 4 hours of great conversation covering all the important bases: dogs, PAC12, hiking, food, beer & exercise. Trying to play it cool, Mike left the country for 2 weeks immediately afterward, postponing our second date for 3 weeks! On our second date, Cecily locked herself out of her house and valiant Mike impressed her by climbing through the back window. Then, Cupid really made his mark on our 3rd date: A day trip to Boulder to watch Cecily's ASU Sun Devils beat Mike's CU Buffs. The rest was history <3

Work took Mike to Switzerland for 3 months while Cecily was finishing up her Bachelors in Nursing. As soon as she graduated, she hopped a plane to visit him and do a bit of traveling. Mike planned a weekend trip to Paris full of sightseeing, wine and baguettes. On our last morning in Paris, we joined thousands of runners on an organized run through Paris' neighborhoods. Stopping along the way for pictures here and there, we ended up in a small park off the path, staring at a "Love Wall" that had "I Love You" written in languages from around the world. It was there that Mike dropped to one knee and asked Cecily to marry him - he had carried the ring for 6 miles! We spent the rest of the day celebrating in true Paris fashion with brunch, champagne and lounging in front of the Eiffel Tower.