Olivia and Ben met the modern way… on Hinge. One swipe, one match, and the rest is history. Our first date was at PopStroke, which in hindsight may not have been the most considerate choice considering Olivia showed up in heels. Ben thought mini golf would be casual and fun. Olivia thought it would be casual. Watching her navigate an active putt putt course in heels had Ben giggling internally the entire time and falling for her a little bit too. After PopStroke, we headed to Culinary Dropout to keep the night going. Ben was so nervous he didn’t kiss her at the end of the date, but he did pull what he considers a very smooth move and asked her on a second date specifically so he could. Date number two took us to Sloan Park for a Chicago Cubs spring training game, where Ben took it upon himself to teach Olivia everything she needed to know about baseball. Whether she retained all of it is still up for debate, but she did decide Ben’s charm and sense of humor were a major green flag. From there, forever began. The dates and Sunday morning church services kept coming. So did the late-night talks. Ben met Olivia’s family for the first time, proudly received a First Boyfriend pin, and was ceremonially fed baby food, a true rite of passage. Everything about our relationship felt like it was moving toward marriage. Fast, but never rushed. It just felt easy. It felt right. As the year came to a close, Ben knew. He had never felt so comfortable or so sure about someone. After praying about what his next steps should be, at Thanksgiving, he asked Erica and Dave for their blessing. Meanwhile, Olivia continued to pester Ben about when he was going to propose. He kept her guessing, saying early 2026, maybe February or March, all while secretly planning something else. Earlier in the day on New Year’s Eve, Ben got down on one knee and asked Olivia to marry him, starting the new year exactly the right way. We are so excited to celebrate this next chapter with all of you. Thank you for being part of our story. We cannot wait to see your amazing faces and celebrate together. (Please enjoy our first photo together below!)