Dan went to the office for his first day at a new job expecting to meet a lot of new people, but he had no idea that one of them would be his future wife. If he had known, he probably would not have declined Nicole’s first-day lunch invitation in favor of reading “1984”, then "The Pale Blue Dot”, and then “2001: A Space Odyssey”. Finally, after exhausting his reading list, he asked if her lunch offer was still on the table. Luckily, it was. They always got along, but the more they talked, the more they realized just how much they had in common. After discovering a mutual love of sports, cooking, and travel, the rest is history! Three years’ worth of memories later and they have backpacked through Costa Rica, learned how to cut a mango and cook the perfect steak, and watched every Detroit Lions game without giving up hope.
Though Nicole loves surprises, it’s very difficult to actually surprise her. Even when Dan planned a surprise weekend trip, she knew they were going to Mackinaw City (her favorite town in Michigan). However, even she could not predict what the rest of the weekend had in store. As it turned out, Mackinaw City was only a pit stop. The next day, they went further north to Pictured Rocks. Dan had visions of proposing on a casual 2-3 mile hike by picturesque waterfalls and cliffs. Their romantic stroll quickly turned into a grueling 10 mile hike through dense, muddy, isolated woods. The only sign they saw for miles read "Bear spotted in area: do not leave food unattended." Everyone loves a happy ending, though. Despite being drained and dirty, Dan did find a romantic lookout for his proposal. He asked, she said yes!