Like most millenials, Kelsey and John met through a mutual...dating website! Facebook Dating, to be exact. There's a good story about the reasons they both swiped right: be sure to ask about it! Kelsey and John's first date was on the campus of MSU, of which both are proud alumni. Kelsey enjoyed showing John the poisonous plant section of the botanical gardens, true romantic that she is. They strolled along the Red Cedar and reminisced about the good ol'days, then had dinner at the legendary "Crunchy's" in East Lansing, Michigan. The pizza might have been a little overcooked, but the conversation flowed effortlessly and the relationship blossomed. They bonded over their mutual love of family, faith, small farms, dogs, ice cream, and its, creator, the humble cow (John grew up helping his grandfather milk cows, and Kelsey has many treasured memories from helping with research on the MSU dairy farm during her time there. They both LOVE ice cream). Subsequent dates early on in the relationship included Kelsey taking John to a goat dystocia, John taking Kelsey to pull weeds and pick rocks at his family's farm (which she greatly enjoyed!), and numerous other activities that many would not deem too particularly date-worthy at the time but that we treasure together to this day! They also greatly enjoy more regular date-night activities, including Spartan games (they've seen hockey, basketball, and football games together so far), bowling (John is trying his best to make Kelsey's game respectable), arcades (Kelsey is trying her best to make John's basketball shooting skills respectable), delicious dinners (recent favorites include Chartreuse in downtown Detroit and Barrel Back in Walloon Lake), and of course, ice cream (a favorite!).
Kelsey and John had a long-standing trip planned to go to Wisconsin for a get-together at the headquarters of Midwestern Bio-Ag, where John works. They decided to extend it into a bit longer of a trip so that Kelsey could show John the beloved Lake Michigan coastline she grew up visiting in her youth. They left early one summer evening with plans of making it to Holland by sunset. Unfortunately with Kelsey's somewhat unpredictable schedule, the departure was delayed and they didn't make it to Holland until after dark. Filled with the promise of starting early they next day, they went to bed early. Kelsey slept fabulously. John did not. And when Kelsey had barely started to stir in the tiny house they had rented, John immediately asked Kelsey if it was light out yet. To which she replied, surely very lovingly but also very groggily, "I don't know, open a window and take a look." It was not, in fact, light out, because it was not yet 6 am. But John was eager to get an early start, so both got up and all ready for the day, and packed up their belongings. Kelsey just happened to be flipping through the guest book before leaving and found a page detailing a great little secluded beach just 5 minutes from their rental. Always loving a good beach walk to start her day, Kelsey convinced Johnn- too easily, in retrospect - to go for a walk before breakfast. They drove in the still relative darkness to the beach, which had a completely empty parking lot and, to Kelsey's absolute delight, a huge sand dune to climb up and then run down! She and John paused for a brief photo at the top of the dune, as the sun was just starting to rise. Kelsey then absolutely BOLTED down the steep sand dune - running/jumping down dunes is a bit of a family tradition - and begged for John to join her, but for some reason, even after being told he was "no fun", John absoltuely refused. Nevertheless, at the bottom of the dune was the beautiful beach, and Kelsey waited patiently for John to arrive.
While waiting for John to get to the beach, Kelsey had scouted out the two possible walking directions. To the north was a bit of beach, but it soon became covered with large, irregular boulders that would have made passage difficult without getting far into the lake. To the south, however, was what appeared to be miles of pristine shoreline. As soon as John arrived, Kelsey told him her plan to walk south, and grabbed his hand to head that way. John, however, stood there, completely unmoving, feet rooted in the wet sand. Kelsey looked back, confused. She explained her reasoning for going south. She pointed to the rocks. She lamented the thought of getting all her clothes wet from wading this early in the morning. She then turned again and pulled at that hand, but John was unyeilding. She turned one more time and looked at him, and then felt him start to shake, which seemed kind of odd because it was a nice morning and the sun was just starting to peek up over the dune and warm the sand even more. But he kept shaking, and then got down on one knee, and said some very nice words and asked a very important question, to which Kelsey of course said yes, as the sun continued to rise and the waves crashed on the shore. It was beautiful and perfect, and Kelsey instantly forgave John for not running down the dune with her (the ring box barely fit in his back pocket and would have easily fallen out). They enjoyed a few moments in that spot, and then continued their walk on their "private" beach...heading south, of course. The entire trip was filled with amazing hikes, delicious food, and amazing weather. John even won a Blackstone at his work event! Kelsey loved seeing Wisconsin for the first time and was amazed by the farms and the hills. They look forward to so many more amazing trips together, but know this one may be hard to beat!
John's dog, Moose, is a three-year-old Golden Retriever. He is as handsome as he is goofy, and what he lacks in coordination he makes up for in love and devotion. He loves "his kitty", oranges (fresh and dried: ask about our Christmas tree), and running as fast as he can. Kelsey's old guy, Titus, is a 14-year-old Golden Retriever-Labrador mix. He has a spot of dementia but that doesn't keep him from enjoying the finer things in life, which mainly involves having his food enhanced with delicious treats, oils, and gravies. He also loves fetch and still tries to keep up with the young ones. Kelsey's other dog, Harvey, is a two-year-old Bluetick Coonhound-Beagle mix. He lives for his ball and food. He loves to cuddle and is an aggressive face licker. He is a bit of a trouble maker, and is told daily that he is lucky he is so cute. Kelsey's cat, Papaya (aka Poppy) is a two-year-old orange tabby. She lost her eyes from a kittenhood infection, but her lack of sight does not prevent her from being the most mischievous of the bunch! She routinely scales shelves and perches up high, only to start a battle with Moose (her favorite!).