Gary and Stacie met on Match.com in November 2022… Brooke, Gary’s elder sister, encouraged him to put up his dating profile just one more time on Match; this had come after multiple failed matches and a growing melancholy around the entire prospect. Around the same time, Kayla, Stacie’s elder sister, created a fake profile dubbed “Felicia 2022” to both encourage and scope out prospects for Stacie. Stacie was similarly discouraged by the idea after her own dealings with dating. While Stacie put up a fight and insisted that she had no interest at the moment, Kayla came across Gary’s profile and showed it to Stacie. Bingo! Stacie changed her mind and immediately created a profile to message him. Taking advice from her mom and sister, Stacie finally messaged Gary and then waited in anticipation. And waited. And waited... and after a couple days, she came to terms that he was already talking with someone else or was just not interested. She resigned herself to another failure. However, after five long days, Gary sent a response back to Stacie. From there they started talking and had their first date in December 2022. After dating for a year and half, Gary proposed to Stacie at a beautiful lake house with family in June 2024. And now both their elder sisters hold a claim to fame with being successful matchmakers.

Nala, a snippy, energetic, and rambunctious little fluffball Samoyed owned by Stacie, has proudly adopted me as her newest human. Whenever Stacie and I cuddle on the couch, she has the infinite habit of climbing onto us, snuggling, and even trying to go in for kisses when we're not looking. Personally, I love it when she gets sassy and talks back to us. Ever hear a dog argue? It's something to hear. In the end, we won't own Nala, she owns us.

We were excited! We'd be enjoying a weekend in beautiful Duluth during the peak of its Fall beauty. It was going to be perfect! It was supposed to be okay weather... but worsened as the date approached. Eventually, we reached Duluth and found overcast skies, heavy fog, and a chill that shivered through the air. We climbed Enger Tower within a storm of rain and wind, taking a picture of sheer fog (see the gallery). Our walk near the water was a wet and cold affair, accompanied by crashing waves. In the end, several of our trips have summoned similarly bad weather. Our powers combined, we summon the rain, both of which we enjoy immensely.