We're so excited to celebrate with you!

My earliest memories of Luke go back nearly 15 years to 6th grade. We were in the same math class, and he was always joking around and making everyone laugh. At the time, I don’t think he knew who I was, but I remember thinking that he was super funny and the type of person anyone would be lucky to be friends with. Later in middle school, we got to know one another on a personal level thanks to the huge crush one of my best friends had on one of his. Luke started a conversation with me over AIM that truthfully has yet to end. We quickly developed a strong bond that would become the foundation for our relationship today. Our relationship got rocky when, in 9th grade, I found out through a friend that Luke had romantic feelings for me. I was terrified, both because I was truthfully still afraid of dating in 9th grade and because I wanted our relationship to stay exactly the way it was forever; I wasn’t willing to risk dating, breaking up, and ruining our friendship. Throughout high school and college, we remained best friends, occasionally dating other people, but staying in close touch along the way. Just before we both left for our senior year at our respective colleges in Iowa and Indiana, we had a “now or never” moment. Luke asked me to be his girlfriend, and I said yes. It was scary, risky, and definitely a change. We found out quickly though, that this was the right step for our relationship and we would be together forever. We endured three years of long distance and nearly two years of Chicago living before getting engaged. I am so grateful to have Luke in my life and don’t know where I’d be today without my best friend of 15 years. December 30, 2020 can’t come soon enough!

Maddie and I have known each other for the majority of our lives. We first met in middle school. I was a class clown who goofed off too much. She was quiet, hard-working, and mysterious. Despite having some close mutual friends, I am actually a bit surprised we became friends ourselves. That is the magic of AIM. We started talking more and more in class and online and all of a sudden I found myself with a very close friend. It seemed like we talked about everything. I was not used to being vulnerable but she had me out of my shell. What can I say? I had a huge crush on her. I had that crush for a long, long time. We were best friends in high school. We hung out often and texted constantly. She knew I had a crush on her but we never ended up dating. We both did our own thing and I tried to move on, but I could not get her off my mind. Sounds like a recipe for success, right? This continued on into college. We went to separate schools and we did a lot of growing up. We kept in touch for the most part, other than the occasional self-imposed hiatus. To be honest, it was awful. I knew she was the one for me and I knew she had feelings for me too, but at this point we would be long distance and only seeing each other on school breaks and infrequent visits. So, our senior year of college, we started dating long distance and only saw each other on school breaks and infrequent visits. Then we graduated and we moved to Illinois, Maddie to Peoria and me to Chicago. The distance was shorter but we would still only see each other one or two weekends per month. When I write about it now, three years of long distance sounds impossible. But we both really wanted it to work and it worked. It turns out that dating your best friend is the best thing ever. Maddie finished her Master's, moved to Chicago, and after spending some time finally being in the same place together we knew it was time to take the next step. I could not be happier.

We had no set plans for the holiday weekend of July 4, 2019. We considered the options, reached out to family, discussed with friends, and having just had a busy spring with all of our people, we ultimately decided to spend the July Fourth weekend just with each other. We also agreed that it would be ideal to get out of the city, as Chicago typically goes a bit crazy for this holiday. After much searching and last minute booking, we decided to go to New Buffalo, Michigan for a weekend “staycation.” The morning of July 4th, we packed a few things and drove to Michigan. We started our trip with blueberry picking, and then supplemented our berries with some groceries for a picnic at the beach. It was busy at the beach, with tons of families celebrating the holiday together. We had a picnic, swam, and then decided to walk up the boardwalk to an overlook of the lake. Surprisingly, even with the crowded beach, we were the only ones taking in the view. It was then that Luke asked me to marry him, and I said yes! We couldn’t stop smiling for the rest of our time in Michigan; it was the perfect little getaway and moment we will remember forever.

Madeline Basil knows everything I am thinking, sometimes before I even have the thought myself. As a result, I have never been more nervous for anything in my life than proposing to her. Well, it started with the ring. We had looked at many options for rings and there ended up being two at the top of the list. The one on her finger today is The One, I knew it was The One the moment I saw it. But I played it cool and pretended to be more interested in the other ring. To be fair, it was also beautiful, but I wanted to start covering my trail early. Fast forward to the end of June 2019. All the pieces are in place. We had just gotten our nails done - it was my suggestion, I laid the groundwork for this months in advance by casually mentioning I wanted to get a mani/pedi. I had the ring and a discreet box that allowed me to carry it around in my pocket, which I did for over a week while trying to find the perfect time to pop the question. "But Luke," you may object, "this is a beautiful and highly valuable object! Why were you carrying it around in your pocket?" It is simple: If I do not have a plan, then Maddie cannot find out about my plan. I almost proposed a few different times, but the moment never felt quite right. Then the perfect opportunity presented itself. We decided to get out of Chicago for the 4th of July and take a mini-vacation in New Buffalo. We had a beach picnic set up and it was a gorgeous day. I had stashed the ring in our beach bag, which was terrifying for me but I tried to keep cool about it. We decided on a whim to walk up to an observation deck overlooking the beach, harbor, and lake. I slipped the ring into my pocket thinking this might be a good time. It was the perfect time. We stood looking out over the lake and I knew this was our moment. I do not remember anything I said, but I ended up down on one knee. I actually do not remember if she said yes, but we are planning this wedding now so I think my chances are good.