It all started before Liz and Kevin knew each other when Liz's uncle cut Kevin from a feeder basketball team, resulting in Kevin going to St. Viator instead of Prospect High School (thanks Uncle Tom!). A few years later, Liz and Kevin's sisters, Katie and Katelyn, would play Varsity soccer together at St. Viator.

Thank goodness Kevin said yes when Liz asked him to turnabout Freshman year of high school, considering she spray painted the snow in the Hammarlund's front yard. The spray paint stained their grass for months...

Kevin and Liz remained friends after Freshman year turnabout but started talking every day after the Blink 182 concert at Tinley Park in the summer of 2011. Kevin asked Liz to Homecoming that fall of Junior year.

Liz and Kevin started going on dates (many at the McDonald's at Rand and Arlington Heights road after basketball games and practices). Kevin finally asked Liz to be his girlfriend in the Graff's basement on January 14th, 2012. They dated throughout high school and went to prom together. Kevin asked Liz to prom over their favorite radio station, and surprised her with meet and greet tickets to Hunter Hayes that night. They attend multiple country concerts every year ever since.

Liz and Kevin dated for the remainder of high school, supporting each other at many soccer, football and basketball games. The time to leave for college was around the corner. Kevin followed his dream to play collegiate football at Washington University in St. Louis. Liz knew she wanted a Big Ten school experience and followed in her sister's footsteps to the University of Illinois. With many early morning and late night Greyhound bus trips between St. Louis and Champaign, they made it work.

Throughout 7 semesters apart in Illinois and Missouri, involving many trips up and down I-57 for football games, formals, concerts, and sporting events, Liz and Kevin were both able to study abroad in Europe for their second semester of Junior Year. Liz was eating pasta and drinking wine while learning about the history of Rome while Kevin dabbled in pints of Guinness and rounds of golf in Dublin. It was the semester they saw each other the most- meeting up for long weekends with friends in various European cities, including Prague, Copenhagen, Munich, and Nice. Traveling and exploring new cities remains one of their favorite things to do together.

Graduation was near, and Kevin received an offer to work for General Mills in their Financial Leadership Development Program, which meant moving to Minneapolis. It was an opportunity he couldn't pass up in a city close to his extended family. Kevin moved to Minneapolis while Liz remained near all of her close friends and family in Chicago. Long distance continued, tears were shed, and their families really began to realize just how serious this relationship was! Weekend trips weren't unfamiliar to Liz and Kevin, but they made the most of it, going on brewery tours in Denver, Duluth and more.

Apparently distance really does make the heart grow fonder. Kevin was enjoying corporate finance and all, but wanted to flex his muscle in the tech startup space (but we all know the real reason he wanted to come back to Chicago). After a year+, he accepted a job back in Chicago where both Liz and his family were. After 5 years of long distance, they were finally back living in the same city!

Going on 3 years in the same city and 9 years of dating, Kevin secretly took Liz's sister, Katie, to look at engagement rings and surprised her parents by bringing the ring (along with Pequod's pizza and craft beer, of course) to their home in Palatine to ask for Liz's hand in marriage. They all kept this a secret for an entire month. Kevin proposed to Liz just before their 9th dating anniversary on the Chicago lakefront. Kevin had more surprises planned, including dinner and celebratory drinks with parents and sibilings, followed by a gathering with all of their friends at a favorite brewery. It was the best day full of surprises, laughs, tears, and love!