Erin Elizabeth Dunbar was born in Boulder, CO, Dec. 8th, 1986 to Jaime and Nancy Dunbar. She has an older brother, Ian. They grew up in Tahoe, CA and Carson City, NV. Erin first went to college in Reno, NV before transferring to the College of Santa Fe in New Mexico - which sadly went into economic collapse. Erin moved to Chicago in 2010 to study film and art history at Columbia College Chicago. She's worked for the YMCA, as a paraprofessional and substitute teacher in schools, and is now a barista and mental health advocate for Sip of Hope Coffee Bar. Erin's also volunteered at the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum for 6 years. She enjoys many hobbies like jewelry making, sewing and knitting, taxidermy, photo and videography, and gardening.
Michael John Vinopal was born Dec. 25th, 1982 a month early, in Evanston, IL to Janet and John Vinopal. He has a younger sister Lauren and they grew up in Arlington Heights, IL. Mike moved to Bloomington, IN for college at Indiana University where he studied elementary and special education. He worked as a Case Manager at the Center For Behavioral Health before moving to St. Louis for a year where he started his teaching career. Mike moved back to Chicago in 2010 where he taught at alternative high school placements until settling in at Disney II Magnet School in CPS. And after 10 years working with students with special needs, he took the opportunity to become the Director of Education at Hope For The Day, a suicide prevention and mental health education organization. Mike loves music, plays guitar, and sings in many bands including Local Motive, badcandy, Mason's Case, and AD3 Acoustic Trio to name a few.
Mike and Erin both worked at Disney II Magnet School. Mike was a special education teacher for PreK - 3rd graders and Erin worked with the YMCA for recess, after school, and educational summer camp at the same school, as luck would have it. Their mutual coworker and friend, Alia planted the seed and introduced them. As Mike left work for the day, Erin was usually arriving and he would always say hi to her at the front desk. Both of them were giddy each time they saw each other. It wasn't long before he started to linger longer and with Alia's encouragement bought Erin a beer at Revolution Brewery's Art Gives Me Hope.
In the summer of 2016, Mike and Erin discovered Wright's Beach, CA on the way to visit Erin's parents. They camped on the beach overnight and in the morning, when the tide was out, discovered a magical inlet. They loved it there! Mike likes to claim that they would return and he would propose to her at this spot. And in 2018, during their month long adventure across the country, Mike did indeed propose to Erin on Wright's Beach.