The beginning of 2018 was a time of big transitions for both of us. We were making huge changes in our work and personal lives. Brian was considering a move to California while Anna had just moved home to Minnesota after spending nearly twenty years in New York, Baltimore and Chicago. In March our fairy godmother mutual friend thought that we might make for a good fling and decided to set us up. ‘Welcome to Minnesota!’ Or, ‘One last hurrah!’ While mutually interested, we may have had slightly different vetting criteria… Anna wanted to know that he was good at his job, that he wasn’t a smoker, and he kept his apartment clean. Brian asked, “Is she cute?” Thinking we were on diverging paths Anna journaled after the first date, “Really fun, but no future potential.” Maybe the Universe took that as a dare. Two dates became four, and four dates turned into near-inseparability. Before the rest of you had any idea (until now!) we had realized within a few short weeks that our lives had been forever changed. And, as we’ll celebrate with you all soon: forever fused.

On Christmas of 2018, we decided to throw caution to the wind and book a grand adventure to commemorate our first year together. We’re lucky to have visited some of the most amazing places on the planet, but one place neither of us had been — despite its romantic call to us both — was Ireland. It was a magical trip, and on the most magical day we made it official. After a heartening and also harrowing mountain drive through Conor Pass, the Dingle Peninsula opened up before us. Its stunning beauty is the sort that movies are literally made of. We drove through winds that were hurling whitecaps at the coast, against tiny sleet particles pelting our faces, and under a fluffy grey-blue sky streaked with rays of heavenly sunshine. At one point, a double rainbow even arced in front of us. The cheesy cliches for that moment are endless. We didn’t have a chance to go searching for the pot of gold; Brian had other plans. But first, a drink in a rural Irish inn to stop and bask in the intense, storybook beauty around us. Not long after that, in the ruins of an ancient Celtic settlement, Brian covertly propped his phone up on a perfectly-positioned stone shelf and started recording. He waved a distracted Anna over to him, and as the sun was just starting to drop, he dropped to one knee. Obviously, she said Yes. The other words we spoke are just for us, but you can watch the moment unfold in the link below… https://youtu.be/KvEg1rolpNA