Christian was playing soccer for a team in Jakobstad, Finland (about an hour away from Julia's hometown of Vasa). We first met during Midsummer. Midsummer is a Scandinavian holiday that celebrates the summer solstice, the longest day of the year, but it is also a celebration of life and love. A traditional Midsummer means that you have dinner with friends or family at a summer house, sing Midsummer songs, play lawn games, and take a swim in the sea after a warm sauna. You're also supposed to pick 7 flowers, place them under your pillow, and the person you dream about will be your future husband/wife. Julia dreamed about Nisse that night...but it worked out anyway.

In the winter of 2018, we took a trip to Disney World for the first time together. We dined at a restaurant called the California Grill on the very first night. After an amazing dinner, we walked onto the balcony overlooking the Magic Kingdom and the Cinderella Castle. Christian went down on one knee and asked Julia to be his wife. And that's the reason we're celebrating!

Because of circumstances outside of our control, we decided to officially get married at the end of 2019 -- about 1 year after Christian proposed! We had a beautiful, intimate ceremony by the lake of Christian's hometown with our families. The ceremony was officiated by our close friend, Ryan, and our official witness was his wife and our dear friend, Tarah.