Back in January, I went to a local small town jeweler here in Fargo called Salt Hill Jewelry. Jess and I have stopped in here before, and she loved the style of their pieces. Jess has shared with me (many times) what she would want an engagement ring to look like and in my head I knew Salt Hill would be a great place to start. When I went into their store in January and explained to them my ideas that I had (thanks to Jess), they were so excited to try and make this dream of a ring come to life. They got back to me within a week, giving me some options on how to go about designing this ring. I could keep talking about it, but I will just say they were so amazing in the process and allowed me to do whatever I wanted to create this ring. After submitting the order for the ring, I waited about a month or so for it to arrive. I picked it up and when I saw it for the first time I just got so nervous all of a sudden. I just couldn’t believe that I actually had it in my hands. I was more excited-nervous than actually scared, ya know. I just couldn’t actually believe I had it. Anyway, some time went by, and it started to get nicer outside, so I was just about ready to pop down on a knee. I reached out to a local photographer named Emma. I knew she would be the one I wanted to shoot this amazing moment that Jess and I were about to share. Once she and I came up with a plan, that’s when I let Jess know we were going to have a date night. I told her I would make us some dinner and relax and then go get a treat (7 Brew) before going for a sunset walk at Orchard Glenn Park in south Fargo. Emma actually recommended me this location because of all the trees blooming and how pretty they were at this time of the year. I think I may have caught Jess a little off guard with this date because I never plan dates lol, but I was just hoping she would be excited for this curveball I threw at her. She definitely was. It was a beautiful evening, and I was having Emma hide out as if she was just taking photos of the beautiful trees blooming and such, and when Jess and I got close enough to Emma, I picked a perfect spot to drop down on one knee and ask Jess to marry me. It was amazing. It worked perfectly. Jessi’s eyes lit up so big, and she put on this big beautiful smile and said yes. I was so excited to finally give Jess what she deserves in this beautiful ring. She loved it. She was shocked. She couldn’t stop looking at the ring. Which I think means I did a good job. Emma stuck around for 30 or so minutes to celebrate with us and take some amazing photos of us. They turned out fantastic. Jess and I were so excited to start sharing with our closest friends and family about this next chapter that is about to begin in our life of getting married. I can’t wait to celebrate with her and everyone that has been involved in our journey to us getting married. I love you Jess and I can’t wait to finally marry you :)

When we met, at 14 and 15, I strongly disliked Owen. Some time passed before we were thrown in to each other’s worlds again because our best friends were dating. He grew on me, strictly as a friend for a long time before it became something more in the fall of 2018. On paper we are opposites. I’m an introvert who loves to read, organize spreadsheets, visit art museums, and listens to indie folk and 80’s hits. Owen is an extrovert who loves EDM and house music, works with his hands, loves sports and video games. It works because we show up for each other and we even each other out. Owen is reading Throne of Glass (my favorite series) and I watch hockey games with him, somehow having become a Wild fan. He has me help build his draft spreadsheets, he gets me out of the house to socialize, and he listens (sometimes) when I share the lessons learned from my books. October 2026 will mark 8 years together. In those years we’ve graduated school, become adults, started our careers, moved in together away from family, bought and remodeled a house, adopted pets, and grown exponentially. He has been by my side, never wavering, for better and worse and in sickness and health. He is my best friend, my rock, my home, and soon, my husband.