We first met in the spring of 2020 while working at Lutheran General Hospital. I was a charge nurse, and Mike worked as a staffing coordinator. Those who knew both of us often joked that we’d be perfect for each other. As we all know, hospitals were severely understaffed during that time, so I found myself frequently calling Mike to request additional staff. I had seen him around a few times, but our first connection was really just through those quick, random phone calls. I quickly grew fond of his kindness, sense of humor, and gentlemanly nature—he’d always address me, and everyone else, as “madam.” I started looking forward to calling him. One day, I decided to add him on Instagram. He accepted, and I took the bold step of messaging him first. I commented on his story, which featured an Armin Van Buuren song, and from there, we started talking daily. With COVID keeping us busy, our first date was a casual coffee meet-up in the hospital food court. And from that day on, the rest was history! On May 2, 2020, Mike asked me to be his girlfriend, and that moment has made our wedding date even more special. Since then, we've shared countless adventures and created so many memories together.

Our engagement took place while we were vacationing in the beautiful Punta Cana. Mike had planned a photoshoot on the beach earlier that day to keep me from getting suspicious. The evening then led into a private, candlelit dinner in a gorgeous gazebo. Knowing how much we both adore our corgi, Pepper Jack, Mike had a portrait made of him wearing a bandana that read, “Will you marry my dad?” He had the portrait wrapped in Christmas wrapping paper and arranged for a resort staff member to bring it to our table. As I unwrapped the gift and processed the surprise, Mike got down on one knee, ring in hand, and asked me to marry him. Of course, I said yes a hundred times over! We are so excited to continue building our lives together and can’t wait for what the future holds.