It was a dark and stormy night... just kidding! We first met briefly at Brave the Wilderness summer camp in 2017. Clint had just started his job with St. Mary and Kate was a last-minute addition to the camp's praise & worship band. Camp was busy and such a blur that we really don't remember our first impressions of each other. When Kate started working in youth ministry in the Summer of 2018, we began seeing each other semi-regularly at deanery meetings (ohhh the romance!) It was here that we each took notice that the other was cute and felt like kindred, introverted spirits amidst the liveliness of some of those meetings. Then finally, in the spring of 2021 our relationship moved beyond coworkers with a secret crush on each other! We re-connected early in 2021 at, you guessed it, a work lunch (thanks, Dunn!). But then we serendipitously ran in to each other the following day at a coffee shop. After this chance encounter, Clint invited Kate to a few game nights at his place with friends and then eventually out to a casual lunch that ran long with good conversation. After that first lunch we both knew this was something special. We had a natural, easy beginning that quickly blossomed. And the rest, as they say, is history!

This was one for the books! It was the weekend of my 28th birthday. My sister, Meg, came into town and Mom took us out to get our nails done Saturday morning. Given that it was a special occasion, these potential indicators of an imminent proposal flew right over my head! That afternoon, I was opening gifts at my family birthday party. The last gift I unwrapped was "from Meg" and was a VHS of "Harriet the Spy" - a movie that I had been obsessed with as a little girl. Inside the VHS case was an envelope that said "Clue 1." I was instantly thrilled that there was a treasure hunt to go on! Now, I wasn't sure what gift Meg had for me that merited an entire treasure hunt, but I still hadn't clued in that this might be a proposal. Clint was doing a great job pretending that he had no idea what was going on! Inside the envelope was a riddle in Meg's handwriting that was the first of a series of riddles (all written by Clint, of course, but in Meg's handwriting) hidden in different locations around my hometown that were significant to me growing up. The last clue was hidden at the library. Specifically, I had to find "The Hobbit" by J.R.R. Tolkien. There, I found the final clue that read "Life's a story and you've lived yours well, but go across the street to see what stories your life's next chapter will tell." Ah ha! Now I knew what was happening! Across the street is City Hall and a small park with a gazebo. Clint had my parents set-up tealight candles and place the ring box there while we were out on our adventure. Meg drove us across the street and dropped us off for our private moment where Clint asked me to marry him and I said yes through a plethora of joyful tears! Mom, Dad, and Meg were all nearby and came out after to share in our excitement! Little did I know, Clint asked my parents for their blessing almost three months before he proposed and had been working with my family to plan the proposal all that time! It will forever be a cherished memory!