In a small village there once lived a man. Not an old, nasty, smelly village filled with to the ends of people and cars, nor yet a dry, bare, non-alcoholic village where there was no place to sit and take a drink. This man was a strong man, built to be the top, but was easily taken down by a simple twist of an ankle. Then, there was a sweet girl who was always willing to help and was tasked to help annoy, I mean heal, this man. This started the relationship off as friends but not much more, until she used a secret weapon of Goldfish (the snack the smiles back) because everyone knows a way to a man's heart is through food. So every track meet she would double check to grab another bag and try to woo him with a snack and her good jokes and personality. This made him open his eyes and see her beauty both inside and out. It created a deep love for this amazing girl which nothing could break or cause it to stray. (If you know the Hobbit, then you catch the reference.)

The proposal is a story that will never be forgotten! Nick had just returned home from the marines to see his lovely girlfriend, Kelli, graduate with her Bachelor of Science degree at Carroll University. Little did she know, her boyfriend was going to propose to her the day before. That day was a hot mess, but in the end turned out to be so beautiful! It began with picking up Nick’s best friend, Connor, to join Kelli and Nick for an escape room. Their next stop was Wehr Nature Center (the Botanical Gardens). Nick, being the sweet, romantic and talented man he is, had it all planned out, but plans did not go his way. Nick and Connor did not know where the waterfall was (proposal spot) and did not have enough time to plan out the walk, but they made it work. Going off the trail to find the waterfall led to muddy shoes and Nick almost falling into the river. They found out that the waterfall was a mile down the trail. Nick did not want to wait that long. He got really excited and found some beautiful scenery with a little pond. With a bit of a push to walk through the brush and Kelli saying some cuss words from losing her shoe, they found the perfectly imperfect spot for the love birds. While taking a few pictures together, Nick surprised Kelli by dropping on one knee and asking the big question, which Kelli gladly and happily said yes! What comes after this is funny for everyone except Kelli. Nick puts the ring on Kelli and the ring is too small to fit onto her finger! It wasn’t funny at first, but after some time they had a few good laughs about it and Kelli was still in shock of being asked the big question. They walked back toward the car to the main trail and found the beautiful waterfall, where many more pictures were taken. Kelli said, “you should have done it here Nick!” And that's the story of how this perfectly imperfect day became the most memorable and amazing day of their lives...until the wedding day of course!

Kelli and Nick have always been very creative with their relationship. Some moments are sweet, some are just weird, but they are always fun. One thing that is sweet is when one says I love you to the other, one would respond, “Always”, and the other, “Forever”. After a couple of years saying this, Nick decided to create a symbol for the two love birds, that only they knew. Nick stuck with the "always and forever" and intertwined the "F" and the "A" into one. He proceeded to show this to Kelli. At first, very confused, Kelli saw it as if it was just a bunch of squiggly lines put together. She did not want to hurt Nick feelings and would say great job like a mom would say to her three year old after they tried to stay in the lines of his coloring book. Then Nick explained that it is their symbol, which means Family is Forever, when Love is Always. This creates their symbol and the meaning lives on forever. This is something that will stay with us and our families always and forever.