We met, as most modern couples do, on a dating app called Hinge. Liz liked Phelan's preppy vibe and Phelan thought Liz's paparazzi photo with local celebrity chefs was pretty cool.

We had a great first date, but were both unsure if this was the one. But a magical second date changed everything. We got tacos and tequila at Centro in Northeast Minneapolis, and over our first drinks discovered that Phelan knew a number of people from Liz's High School from his years in High School Debate. We began bonding over shared connections, growing up attending prep school, and a mutual love of tacos. The next morning, it was clear that we had something special. With the COVID-19 lockdown looming, and both of us living alone at the time, we decided to partner up for the length of the stay-at-home order, telling ourselves we'd take the time to really think through things when the pandemic was over in a few weeks and not let circumstances rush us into anything.

It was a struggle to find fun things to do as things got serious - most businesses were closed and early March in Minneapolis is not a great time for outdoor activities. Lucky for us, some people began hosting virtual bingo nights via Facebook Live and called it Biz-ingo. The idea was simple - people ordered takeout from participating local restaurants during the week and received Biz-ingo cards with their orders for the Friday night game. It was an instant hit and became our go-to Friday night date throughout the pandemic. Friday Biz-ingo gave way to Saturday morning mimosas and homemade waffles, listening to the radio, long conversations, laughs, and board games.

We were spending so much time together, alternating whose apartment we would hang out in, that we thought about merging households. As both of our leases were ending, we considered our options. We decided (with the help of our families) to go in on a house together. In late February of 2021, we had secured a realtor to help guide us through the home buying process and the following week, had our first virtual meeting with a mortgage lender. Liz throught that Phelan was super on edge talking about the considerable costs of home ownership and mortgage rates and credit scores - it was kind of a big deal. But turns out he was mostly very nervous about the proposal! After the meeting with the mortgage lender ended, Liz went to finish getting ready for that evening's open house. When she returned to the living room, Phelan was on one knee and on February 26, 2021, he proposed. Liz said yes! While the house we looked at that evening wasn't the right fit, we did find the perfect home in the Standish Neighborhood of Minneapolis in April of that year.

While the proposal itself was a suprise, we had been talking about taking this next step for awhile. When that conversation tipped from theoretical to actual, Liz knew exactly where to find the perfect engagement ring. As a supporter of the local fashion scene, she had acquired many pieces from jewelry brand Goldfine Designs and knew that designer Sara Goldfine Baratz would be the right person for such a special custom commission. The unusual center stone choice - Alexandrite - was chosen by Liz since its natural occurrence is rarer than diamonds and since it has unique color properties. As an electrical designer and lighting nerd, she was drawn to the fact that Alexandrite appears differently in different color temperatures of lighting. Under cool lighting, like daylight or harsh office environments, the stone appears blue/green/teal. Under warm lighting like candlelight or incandescents, it appears purple/red. When viewed with polarized sunglasses, flashes of green and orange appear, and it glows bright orange under UV/black light. Phelan and Liz picked up the ring once complete, and in Phelan's closet it sat for a few months, until he was ready to ask the big question!