Michael and Julia met during the peak of Michigan's Covid lockdown. It was 4th of July weekend 2020 and the only party happening was Glennstock, a music festival that Michael's brother Marc organized at their parent's house that has become an annual tradition. Julia showed up, walking in as Michael was playing mandolin. Michael says he saw Julia walking in, wearing a long sundress, and wondered who she was. Not long after, Michael and Julia had their first date - drive-through Tim Hortons coffee since no restaurants were open and a walk along Paint Creek Trail. That date went well enough that their second date was kayaking at his parent's house (no pressure or anything). Fast forward to August 2021, when Michael and Julia drove up to the UP for his former lacrosse teammate's wedding. Julia still remembers being nervous about the trip, hoping they would still like each other after the long trip together (it was their first vacation). The day after the wedding, he took Julia hiking through the woods, across a river, acted like he was lost a few times, and then disappeared off a cliff with no notice. Eventually, he made his way back up the rocks, soaking wet, and asked Julia to marry him. She said yes (even without a ring), and they have since been settling into their 102-year-old home a few miles away from where they first met.