Yes, it's a monday.

In November 2020, after months of terrible luck with dating, I decided I was going to delete Hinge and call it quits. I logged on to check my messages one last time and found a new message from my recently updated ‘Most Compatible’ match. Jacob’s message read: “Hinge says we’re most compatible, does that mean we’re married now or how does this work?” I was immediately intrigued but had no idea yet that I was done for. He was charming, funny, kind, and quickly started to check boxes on the list in my head that I didn’t even know existed. We continued to talk over the next couple of weeks and had a deep connection from the very beginning. We shared our struggles with mental health and traumas(ya know, the good stuff) and realized that we both understood a certain kind of hell, and in turn, we understood each other on a level most people didn’t. We both knew we had something special.

Jacob picked me up and we drove to Cherry Berry for a treat. I was a little confused being that he took me to one 20 minutes away, instead of the one 5 minutes from my apartment, but little did I know he had a whole plan. He took me to a neighborhood in Shakopee and pulled up to the most beautiful Christmas lights display. He remembered that I had said I loved the magic of Christmas and all of the lights and surprised me with exactly that! It could not have been more perfect. We walked through the sweetest Christmas village eating candy canes and I felt like my life was a Hallmark movie! After that, we drove all over the cities and talked for hours. I already had a feeling that I had found the right one, and I sure was right! Let's just say, 2020 wasn't so bad after all.

We know a lot of people think we're a little crazy being that we haven't been together very long, but I truly learned the meaning of the phrase "When you know, you know." We've both been through a lot over the years, and if 2020 taught us anything, it's that life is full of the unexpected, tomorrow isn't guaranteed, and the most important thing is the people you love. We knew what we had was really beautiful and we knew what we wanted. Jacob spent a few years in Milwaukee, WI and he wanted to show me the city where he really discovered himself. We took a road trip and explored Milwaukee for a few days. It was amazing! On our last day there it was nothing short of perfect. If you know me, you know I LOVE plants, so he took me to the Mitchell Park Domes - a crazy plant lady's dream - and we spent an hour wandering through the conservatory together. I was definitely in my happy place! Afterward, he took me to the Milwaukee Pierhead Lighthouse, where he put a ring on it, and we officially started our journey together towards becoming Mr. & Mrs. Campbell. There were definitely some anxieties in our minds about the things people might say or think about our engagement, but ultimately we don’t need anyone’s permission to choose what makes us happy and people will have their opinions no matter what. Being with someone and making it work truly comes down to intentionality and the question of “Are you going to choose to choose me or not?” We’ve been through the wringer in a short period of time, but the way we’ve resiliently worked through life’s challenges is what makes me so sure. We've had so much support from the incredible people in our lives (that's you!) and we cannot wait to see where life takes us!