It was the summer of 2014. It was my second year working an engineering co-op job at Borg Warner from January to August. I was on the corporate co-ed softball team the previous year. I had never played before, and it was awful. There were two corporate teams that year, and I was on the one that didn't win a single game. Losing wasn't fun, so there was no way I was going to sign up for that again this year. However, out of the goodness of my heart, I agreed to substitute if they needed a girl to fill in. It's like the second game of the season, and I was asked to be a sub for the softball team. Oh great. I showed up to the field, and I found my coworkers. There were a few people from my team the prior year, but most of them were from the other Borg Warner team. But there was one person I didn't recognize. And he was cute. As luck would have it, the coach (Jason - turns out he's the cute guy's brother) put me in the outfield (the position I could do the least amount of damage) and he put the cute guy next to me (probably for damage control). I found out his name was Jordan. We were a pretty dynamic duo in the outfield. I would try to catch the ball. He would actually catch the ball. I would do some yoga stretches during down time. He would laugh. I would struggle to throw the ball in from the outfield. He'd run in and be my cutoff. I don't remember if we won or lost that game. But I do remember having a change of heart about softball. It wasn't long before I became a regular on the team. After each game, we would hang out in the parking lot to chat and have a beer. That's where Jordan and I got to know each other. A few games into the season, Jordan and I were talking after the game. One of the guys on the team interjected and asked if we've exchanged numbers yet, and if not, now would be a good time. Awkward, but effective. So we began making plans outside of softball.

For our first date we went to a park in Lake Orion. This park had a river with a collapsed bridge. Kids come here to paint graffiti on the rubble that was left behind. It is a unique spot - nature with a twist. We enjoyed the nature, the ameture artwork and the beautiful weather. We were getting hungry, so we started looking for a place to eat nearby. We found G's Pizza and decided to try it out (turns out we both love Hawaiian pizza). As luck would have it, G's hosted a trivia game once a week, and we got there just in time to join in. We came in last place, but it was a lot of fun, so we agreed to meet up again for trivia the following week. We started seeing a lot of each other among softball, trivia and meeting up on the weekends.

My co-op at BorgWarner ended, and I went back to MSU to finish my junior year of college. Jordan was still farming in Wisconsin while working a full time job in Michigan. More often than not, he was travelling to and from Wisconsin on the weekends. We would get creative to see each other throughout the semester. We would try to meet up halfway, I would visit him on the weekend or he would stop to see me for a while on his way to and from Wisconsin. We would catch a movie playing at the campus auditorium when he had enough time. We would meet up for dinner or a round of bowling at a nearby bar if he couldn't stay long. We visited MSU's dairy farm one weekend. One night he stopped by on his way to WI. He brought a blanket so we could stargaze in the courtyard.

I returned to BorgWarner for a summer internship and moved in with Jordan. Then, in the blink of an eye, I was back at MSU for my senior year. I graduated college in May 2016. I had job offers from GM in MI and Kohler Co. in WI. Jordan had a great job in MI, but was still travelling back to the farm frequently to take care of business. The farm had been in his family for generations - deep down I knew it would be difficult for him to ever leave. The commute to the farm was rough, and seemingly unsustainable. We belonged together and he belonged at the farm. I took the job at Kohler so we could start a life together back in WI. I started looking for a place to live in WI and Jordan continued to work in MI in the mean time. I bought a house and started at my new job. Jordan moved back to WI shortly after.

Jordan was bouncing between the farm and my place for a while when he moved back. But the acquisition of dogs and cows complicated the living arrangements. So I started going to the farm more frequently to let the dogs play and help out with chores. Jordan and I felt the same way about marriage: we loved each other, we both knew it would happen, and we didn't have a reason to rush into anything. Well, after 5 years together, I figured we were long past rushing into anything, so I started bringing it up more. On my birthday of 2019, Jordan told me to pick out a ring. He couldn't buy it immediately, and I was ok with that. I understood as it was turning out to be a difficult farming year. Plus, this way it would be more of a surprise when he did propose. I found the perfect ring, and I gave him the details. On December 13, 2019, I went to the farm after work, as usual. I met Jordan in the kitchen and pitched another reason we should get married. In typical Jordan fashion, he replied "In good time", his go-to response to me asking when anything will happen. I let it go, and we went out to the barn to feed the cows. I was giving the cows apple treats when Jordan came over. Then he said "I have a present for you." He produced the ring. I was ecstatic. He got down on one knee and time stood still. I blurted out "Yes!" before he could even ask me - but I'm pretty sure that's where the conversation was headed.