Jim and Katie met, similar to so many classic couples throughout history, via the iPhone application Tinder. However, this recollection may not be entirely accurate as they almost assuredly haunted the same disgusting back alleys of off campus housing at their beloved Notre Dame. Their first meeting almost did not happen. On the way to their first date, Katie's beloved dog Archie (the third and probably most important member of this family unit) swallowed a chicken bone he found on the street, and had to be spirited away to an emergency veterinary appointment. He was, of course, completely fine. Despite this ill omen, Jim and Katie eventually made their way to Hopewell Brewing Company where their adventure began. Archie even came on the date and behaved himself enough that Jim forgave him. Fast forward three + years and… here we are.

When Jim decided to propose to Katie, he made a fatal miscalculation: He decided to propose on her birthday - a Monday. You may have heard about this global pandemic that happened during the calendar year of 2020 (it was no good). As a result, restaurants shortened hours across the board and on Mondays, nearly all restaurants were closed. Jim had the bright idea to drive to a holiday lights show in the suburbs then pick up dinner on the way home (again, due to the pandemic, they could not eat inside) and propose afterwards. After making countless phone calls to find a restaurant to order from, Katie got frustrated and said "Screw it, let's get Portillo's." Portillo's is basically her favorite food, but it was not the fine dining experience that Jim envisioned for the proposal. After feasting on hot dogs and french fries, Jim pulled out a ring and asked Katie to marry him. It took Katie a while to get over her total shock, but eventually she came to her senses and said yes!