Let’s Party!

We met at a engagement party of all places! (shout out Austin & Cori!!!) I (Cara) was frantically trying to light all of the tiki torches outside with no oil in sight when I spotted a guy in the kitchen making popcorn. I practically barked at Chris through the screened window to bring out the oil and that was the moment the flame was sparked, literally and figuratively. The literal fire went out in five minutes due to improper oil but the figurative one is holding strong!

We went on our first date the very next day at Donkey Taqueria in Grand Rapids, MI. I talked the whole time and Chris smiled and laughed while he nervously answered all of my burning questions.

Back from a Northern Michigan adventure, we decided life was going to be way more fun if we did it together. :)

Covid-19 swept the country and Chris and I decided to pack up and head to his parent's cabin on Lake George until Covid passed... instead of one week we stayed six and learned a lifetime about each other up in the woods. Though our jobs were dramatically changing and the world was heading into chaos, we found a peace and familiarity in one another. We look back fondly in those times now knowing we grew together deeper and closer despite our anxieties and fears of what our lives, all of them, would become. Lake George has become such a special place to us both and we can't wait to party with you all there!

We wouldn't be us without our wild cattle dog! We got a Covid puppy and named her Maple. She is the light of our lives and the most chaotic animal to ever zoomie this planet. Maple is a rescue and struggles with everyday doggie things so Chris and I have been exercising lots of teamwork to turn the situation around. We are so proud of our pup and the progress we have all made together!

Chris got down on one knee at Hoffmaster State Park while Maple sniffed what was in his hand: the perfect ring. I, of course, said yes!!! Waiting for us at an airbnb in Holland, was a room full of family and friends ready to celebrate the engagement. The party was beautiful and every detail of the day was absolute magic. (especially the tacos Chris had catered from Donkey!)

After moving from Grand Rapids, to Lansing, to Grand Rapids again, Chris and I have just recently moved to the Albany, NY area. Chris started a teaching job at a local middle school and I am in the process of starting my career in real estate as a buyers agent. We bought a house in Delmar, NY and can’t wait to keep renovating our first home together!