Jake and McKenzie first met on her birthday, February 16, 2023. However, at that time neither of them knew how their lives would forever be intertwined. After their brief introduction, they went their separate ways. Less than two months later, Patrick reached out to McKenzie asking if he could give Jake her number. Jake was quick to schedule their first date that Friday, April 7, 2023. McKenzie loved the initiative. Their conversations flowed effortlessly throughout dinner, both very aware of how much they enjoyed each others company. It didn’t take long (less than 24 hours) for them to see each other again. From that day forward, they were inseparable. McKenzie started to work for Jake after 6 months together and have since become the perfect team inside and outside of work. In October of 2024 they bought their first home in Lebanon, Maine. Both extremely eager to make it their own, they worked together to conquer the necessary renovations. They even slept in their camper in the driveway for the first couple of weeks! All of these memorable moments leading up to, the proposal.

While on the last camping trip of the season in their favorite place, McKenzie and Jake decided to take advantage of the weather and explore Cannon Mountain. Unfortunately, the tickets for the Tram were all sold out. Jake was determined to get to the top, so he went inside to see if he could pull some strings. As fate would have it, the operator happened to be Jake’s former high school teacher. As they stood on Vista Way admiring the beautiful view, Jake got down on one knee. Of course, McKenzie said YES!