Our mutual friend Kira invited me to a cabin weekend her and her friends were having. Not knowing anyone else who was going I thought, "Sure, why not? I'd love to hang out with twenty-three perfect strangers." Little did I know I'd meet the love of my life and my future wife. When I first walked into the cabin I was wearing my comfy traveling clothes; sneakers, sweatpants and a fluffy sweater. Hayley took a quick up and down look at me, pointed to my outfit and said "This... I like what's going on here." I replied, "I like that fitted Darth Vader cap you have on." Those were the very first words we exchanged. During the rest of that raucous weekend Hayley and I got to know each other and were having fun flirting. We talked about theories pertaining to Harry Potter, I learned many new board and card games and we all drank, ate, hit the hot tub and we were generally very merry. I also learned that she is quite competitive, loves her friends fiercely and can't resist a good theme. Though nothing romantic transpired that trip I think we both registered that there was an insane amount of chemistry between us. It wouldn't take long after that for us to reconnect and the rest, as they say, is history.

It all began with Mike decided to spend a weekend at a cabin with 25 strangers. Nights of flirting over Harry Potter and "in character" during a murder mystery game led to a few sparks, but we both went our separate ways. A couple months later, I realized I missed Mike's positive energy and invited him to a folk festival with some friends. During the festival, I turned to Emily and announced "I think I like that jolly dancing man." To which she promptly said, "Obviously!" Sometimes your best friend knows before you do. We started dating soon after and never looked back.

I did not think Mike could surprise me... I was wrong. I had planned a relaxing weekend of laying around and decorating for the holidays. Mike was supposed to work, but luckily leads were slow (turns out this was actually part of the plan). After some convincing, Mike got me off the couch for a hike at one of our favorite local spots, Sugarloaf Mountain. Towards the end of our hike we came upon a historic battlement that overlooks the mountains. Mike suggested a selfie, but a couple walked up and offered to take our photo for us. While we were kneeling for a photo with Archer, Mike turned on one knee... and you can guess the rest. When we got back to the car, I suggested a celebratory drink at our favorite local restaurant at the base of the mountain. Little did I know that Mike had arranged for 40 of our closest friends and family to meet us there. Toasts and bubbly were shared and the day was more magical than I could have imagined. Then, to top it all off, Mike walked off to "get something from the car" and walked in with my best friend, my mom. Mike had thought of everything.