Our friendship really took off in the summer of 2014, when we started lifeguarding together at our neighborhood pool. For the next four years, we spent our summers "working," aka, filling the pool with soap to make bubbles, mistaking garbage trucks for thunder so we could shut the pool down early to play cards, and racing down the slide to see who was faster. Jake always thought Miranda was the hottest lifeguard on the stand. He was constantly looking for ways to impress her — and it may have worked, because eventually he got promoted to pool manager and became her boss. (Though that didn’t last long — and let’s be honest, he hasn’t been the boss since.) Fast forward to the summer of 2020. We were spending almost every day together with our friends. After celebrating our seventh shared birthday, the jokes about how cute the other one was started turning into not-so-subtle hints. With a little encouragement from our friends, we finally made the leap from friends to something more. And the rest, as they say, is history.
Soon after we started dating, Miranda moved to Gainesville, Florida to begin her doctorate, while Jake stayed in Charleston, South Carolina to build his career. For the next three years, we made long distance work — taking turns visiting each other twice a month. Our weekends in Gainesville were filled with coffee shop study dates, hikes through the swamp, and cheering on the Florida Gators. In Charleston, we soaked up the sun on the beach, spent time with family, and caught up with friends. One summer, Miranda moved to Chicago for a 12-week internship. It was a dream — with walks through Lincoln Park, meals at restaurants featured on The Bear, and spontaneous jumps into the lake. Conveniently (or maybe not so conveniently), Jake’s flights always seemed to get “delayed” or “canceled,” giving us even more time together. In the final year of Miranda’s program, Jake moved to St. Louis — her hometown — which made visits a bit more complicated. We leaned into longer FaceTime calls, virtual study dates, and even got creative with online escape rooms and multiplayer games (shoutout to Overcooked for turning Miranda into a gamer). Our very last virtual study date was spent prepping for Miranda’s dissertation defense — a fitting close to this long-distance chapter and a major milestone we’ll always celebrate together.
Once Miranda moved back to St. Louis, the pressure was on. Jake knew it was time to pop the question—but had no idea where to start. So, like any smart man would, he called Miranda’s best friend, Colleen. Her advice? Take Miranda to a Getaway Cabin—something she’d mentioned (at least) a thousand times. For their 4-year anniversary, Jake surprised her with a cabin trip. Before the big weekend, Jake wanted to ask Miranda’s dad, Frank, for his blessing. He launched a new Badolato family tradition—Boys’ Night—where the guys go out together the weekend before Christmas. It was the perfect cover. Before Miranda’s brothers joined, Jake asked Frank the (runner-up) big question. Frank said yes, offered some words of wisdom, and they toasted with a whiskey and Coke. The next morning, Jake met Miranda’s mom, Laura, at a coffee shop—under the guise of a “career chat.” Both Miranda and Laura bought it. When Jake asked for her blessing, Laura was honored—and they celebrated with coffee and a pastry. After rescheduling the trip twice due to snowstorms and family plans, the big day finally arrived. With help from Colleen, her mom, and a photographer, the cabin was beautifully set up. Jake pulled in, got down on one knee, and Miranda said, “Of course I’ll marry you.” They spent the night under the stars with wine, steak cooked over the fire, and one very big secret finally out in the open.