Mason and I met early September 2021 through mutual friends. His parents went out of town for a motorcycle trip & he ended up having a bonfire one of those nights in his front yard. The next day, without him knowing it, I changed my "age range" on Tinder to find him. Within days, we matched and started sending pick-up lines back and forth to each other. After a couple messages, Mason said "Now that one could get you a date" & that's how I got myself a first date with Mason!

We were both very nervous, so we decided to go on a little adventure. Mason took me to a silo where we climbed up and looked at the view & I took him to an old train bridge in South Haven. We then went out to eat at S.O.B.'s in Kimball. Being around Mason, made me feel so giddy, like a little kid. Our next couple dates were spent hammocking for hours, getting to know each other better & then on October 3rd, Mason asked me to be his girlfriend! & You know the saying "When you know, you know"? Well, three days later, Mason told me he loves me! I remember texting my mom to tell her and she responded... "When you know, you know." I'm so blessed to be where we're at now, getting to spend forever together.

In October, we took a little road trip up to Duluth with our friends for Spencer's birthday. We went to Palisade Head & then all the way up to Hovland, Minnesota. The next day we went and hiked in Ely, before heading home. There were so many laughs during this trip, we couldn't have had a better time.

OBVIOUSLY we had to pop out with a bang for our first halloween together. Mason ordered a Ricky Bobby racing suit, while I dressed up as the flag girl. (He's the best there is, plain & simple!) - A couple months later, we took a trip to Bentleyville to see all the Christmas lights together and for our first times! It was extremely cold, but so much fun.

I can't count how many car shows we've attended together, but at one point, it was one almost every weekend. Saturday nights we'd usually end up at the Coon Rapids Blvd cruise. It was always funny to me pulling up to a car meet in a little mini cooper, but Mason loves his tiny vehicles so much.

When I met Mason, he didn't really listen to any country music (which is why Emma wasn't a fan of him.) It was mostly Tupac, Biggie, etc. Luckily, in June of 2022 I was able to take him to his first concert(s)... WINSTOCK! We had such a fun weekend. That year Tim McGraw was headlining and we were SO excited. I had Mason prepped, listening to all his popular songs. Now, he mostly listens to country music! We've been to either Winstock, or WeFest every year since 2022 and it's always a blast.

In August of 2022, Mason and I took a flight to Denver, Colorado and stayed in a hotel in Granby. It was Mason's FIRST time on a plane! He was so giddy and excited during take-off. When we landed, we picked up our rental car and headed for Estes Park where we fed the friendly chipmunks and then hiked up to Gem Lake... It was more of a pond, but still a fun experience. The next day, we drove down to Colorado Springs and went to the top of Pike's Peak. I'm not a huge fan of heights, so I was extremely scared the entire way up, while Mason proceeded to explain why there was a spot called the "Evo corner" after already seeing the fear in my eyes. We also visited Garden of the Gods, as well as Grand Lake. Lastly we went to Winter Park where we rode the gondola to the top of the mountain, got food & drinks, and took the alpine slid down to the bottom, ending our night with tattoos and dinner. This trip will forever hold a special place in my heart.

This weekend was PACKED! Friday, we headed to his cousin Kassie & Trey's wedding. Mason was bragging all night about how his suit made him look like James Bond, he loved it. Then on Saturday, we went to ERX races with his brother Clay & Kellie, and of course, Mason wore his Ricky Bobby suit. He was stopped by an interviewer who asked him to take a shot of their liquor and review it on camera... He wasn't even 21 yet! On Sunday, we drove out to Surly Brewing Company to see Zach Bryan perform. It was definitely a fun filled weekend for our one year anniversary.

My cousin Tucker had planned to go hunting in Omaha with our family, and asked if Mason and I would like to join him for the ride. We ended up going, but keeping it a secret until we got there, so we could surprise my grandma Rosie. She was thrilled when we all showed up together, already wanting to make us food and sit and chat with us on her porch swing. Mason & I went to the Henry Doorly Zoo and visited with all my cousins while we were there. On our last day there, the boys were shooting clay pigeons in my cousin Dylan and Shelby's backyard. I'm not one for flying targets, but Mason still had me try it out & I actually shot one! It's always a good times making memories with family and we've been back down to visit multiple times since then.

In June of 2023, Mason and I put an offer in on a house and it got accepted! We spent almost every weekend together so we were more than excited to start this new chapter together. It was so fun being able to decorate things how we wanted, and having our own space. We had a gathering with some friends in our yard to celebrate this big step. We soon realized that we needed to add to our little family. I was scrolling puppies.com and found a Bernese Mountain Dog for sale in Indiana, so Mason and I took an 18 hour road trip to go pick up our baby Hank! Mason's parents were unaware of this little adventure so we surprised them with their new grandpup the next day. It was very fun introducing Hank to everybody, we took him almost everywhere with us and he loved it.

By 2023, most of Mason's close friends had moved out of state, so in December, we took a flight to see his best friends Mike, Jeff & Spencer in Florida. He was so excited to be back with his boys, being silly and having fun with them again. The first night, we went to a billiards bar to shoot some pool, get drinks and have dinner. When the boys had days off work, we took Jeff's boat to a little island to enjoy the sun and try to catch some fish. We also went golfing with them, and if you know Mason, you know that his priority was having some drinks and ripping around the golf carts. We had so much fun making memories this trip and didn't want to leave.

There are many memories I can recall in between such as; another year of Winstock, back to the 50's, cabin trips, car shows, Ken & Barbie Halloween, fishing derbies, etc. I'm just trying to keep it short & sweet! In March of 2025, I was scrolling puppies.com again (whoops - luckily I'm marrying someone who loves dogs as much as I do) & found a Golden Retriever for sale, near us this time! Mason drove to pick her up after work & we decided to name her Bonnie. Again, surprising all our friends and family with our new furry family member. Bonnie & Hank immediately became the best of friends and now they're inseparable.

Mason and I had planned a trip up to Duluth with Hank and Bonnie for our four year anniversary. We weren't exactly sure what we were going to do, or where we were going to go, besides starting off at the Black Beach in Silver Bay. When we got there, there were two weddings happening on opposite sides of the beach, and I had no clue what was about to happen. I thought I would pick up on hints if Mason was about to propose, because I can tell when he gets nervous, or if something is going on, but I had absolutely NO clue! Mason had told me to prop my phone up to take a picture, (so I could get a video of the proposal) but me being me, I said "Let's just ask someone to take a photo!" - We had agreed to no presents, and just a little adventure for our anniversary, so when Mason pulled earrings out of his pocket, I said "Whaaat! We said no gifts!" & As I was opening the tie bag of earrings, Mason was saying "I know it's not what you wanted but... I also got you this." I turned around and he was down on one knee! Biggest surprise EVER! I had no idea that was coming! In true Mason fashion, he was nervous, lost all his words, and was being pulled in different directions by the dogs, that he forgot to even ask "Will you marry me?" It was so funny. It felt like us, in so many ways. Little did I know, Mason had my mom find a photographer the night before to capture this special moment for us. The dogs were acting crazy (but Mason knew I wanted them involved in some way) and there was a nice couple on the beach who held them for us so we could get more photos. It felt like a dream. We left the beach grinning ear to ear, so excited to call all our friends and family and tell them. We took Hank & Bonnie to the dog park to play and ended up driving home after that. We knew it was going to be a long drive and just wanted to get home and feel all the feels. It was a day we'll never forget. I cannot express how excited I am to officially apart of the Schuster family & spend the rest of my life with my best friend.