The first time I met Mike was at a 4th of July party in the summer of 2020, but we only ever said hi to each other that day. About a month later, the boys were having their annual beach trip, and Jimmy invited the girls to come down for a night (shoutout Jimmy). It ended up being rainy so we just stayed in. We were all hanging out, drinking, singing, and dancing, and some of the boys had brought guitars to play, but I found myself drawn to the cute guy playing the ukulele. I was trying to be subtle but the second the seat opened up next to him, I slid right in. I remember he was telling me about being a high school P.E. teacher, and I told him I never took a gym class in high school (lol). He tried to show me how to play the ukulele, and we talked the rest of the night. A couple weeks later, he took me to Hoagie Haven for our first date. We spent the day picking apples and made apple pie. Then, before I was about to head home, he officially asked me to be his girlfriend, and I said yes without hesitation.

May 18, 2024 will forever hold a special place in our hearts. Months of planning would finally come together for the moment I’d propose to the girl I love the most. The plan was to make it seem like Tommy was in town for a wedding and Colby was planning a fun sibling get together at the Grounds for Sculpture for my birthday (which was just a couple days before). The day of the proposal, I remember waking up and feeling full of energy and excitement. I tried my best to remain calm while getting ready, but I was incredibly nervous and kept checking the weather app for potential rain. Luckily, the rain stopped right when we got there, and we were able to walk around and enjoy the day. After seeing several sculptures and stopping to take some pictures, we finally arrived at the sculpture that I planned to propose in front of. I grabbed Tracy’s hand and walked her up the hill towards it. I got down on one knee and asked her to make me the happiest man on earth and marry me. Her reply “yes! of course!” filled my heart with joy. It was truly the happiest moment of my life, and Jake took pictures to help us capture the moment. Shortly after, we drove over to my parents’ house where one more surprise was waiting. We put together a small engagement party at the house, and unbeknownst to Tracy, her parents and brother were waiting there to surprise her and celebrate with us. It truly was a perfect day and one we will never forget.