Let's celebrate!

In the fall of 2020, a young bachelor by the name of Erik Weigel decided he was going to embrace this title and move to a condo in downtown Minneapolis. He had a plan: do crossfit (get ripped), own a fancy apartment, drive a cool (and sustainable) car, maybe get a dog. Basically, do anything he could to attract what he was hoping would be an abundance of ladies. If you asked him now, he would say his plan was "too potent." Because before even moving in, Rachel waltzed on by and claimed him. For her part, Rachel had put down dating apps for a while (a whole month!), only to be told by the tarot cards she routinely consulted that love was on the horizon. So she downloaded Hinge. One fateful Saturday, during his nightly app swiping, Erik happened upon the face of an impossible beauty. Who was Rachel and how was her smile so perfect? (Lots of dental work). Knowing only her beauty and that she was a doctor, he decided, "this is it. This is the one for me." And swiped right (or is it left?). The next morning, Rachel got the notification and thought, "sure, this guy looks nice and seems to have a good job," and decided to give it a try. Rachel and Erik began to talk. They had a brief conversation involving hunting for Caribou (coffee) and running 5ks, after which Erik promptly asked Rachel to go out for a drink. They met for the first time at a local watering hole (Headflyer) and it was all over from there. The moment Rachel stepped foot into Erik's Tesla on the second date, she knew he was the one for her. And once Erik tried Rachel's coffee cake, he knew he had to see her again (and not just because he had to return her tupperware). Within a month, they were having the "is this exclusive" conversation and by Christmas they were meeting each other's families. Things just seemed to fall into place.

A few short and exciting months later, Rachel and Erik decided to move in together. This prompted the usual, "where is this going" type of discussions. They both knew they loved each other and wanted to be together. After her friend Christina's wedding in August, where multiple people commented on how happy they seemed together, Rachel and Erik had a big talk about expectations and when they might get engaged. Rachel was fully prepared to wait, give Erik his time, wait for him to be ready (at least until December). Erik quickly realized that he didn't want to mess around. Somehow Erik managed to buy the exact ring Rachel would want (someone might have slipped a card for Wedding Day Diamonds into his wallet) with a gorgeous stone that he picked out. He kept it close to the chest. He knew for over a month that he was going to propose and told no one. But once the ring was ready, he couldn't hold onto it for long without it becoming obvious. He knew Rachel was hard to fool. The day he picked up the ring he headed to his parents' house to tell them his plans. Their excitement was palpable. He also managed to track down Rachel's parents (who were in Greece) to ask for their blessing. (Thank goodness Laura checks messages from her employees.) All that remained was to ask Rachel. Fortuitously, Rachel's friend Becky was in town that weekend. Erik shocked Becky with his plans on a Saturday morning. She thought he was joking. Thankfully, he was able to convince her that this was not one of his usual silly moments. Together they made a plan to trick Rachel into going for a walk on the Stone Arch Bridge later that day. On the walk, Erik was holding Rachel's hand. Rachel was wondering why he was being so couply. Before she knew it, he was pulling her aside, telling her he loves her and getting down on one knee. She was absolutely shocked. This was so unexpected and exactly what she wanted. He did good.