We're Getting Married!

Those that know me (the Bride) well, know that the 4th of July is my most favorite holiday - yes, even more than Christmas. It's a wonderful time of the year when those from the Michigan City area flock back home and gather with friends and family. It's special for many reasons and this story only adds to it. Anthony & I met on July 1st, 2016 as a girlfriend of mine and I decided to stop by his apartment to meet up with some other friends. We knew of each other, as we both grew up in the Michigan City area and attended the same high school - but never ran in the same circles, as I am slightly older (whoops). That night and the days that followed, we bonded over our love of music and outdoor festivals, our involvement in sports, and our professional careers. Anthony made me feel immediately at ease - it was as if we'd known each other for years instead of only a few days. He met my family that weekend and was even so lucky as to get a parking ticket for parking in front of my parents house (it was later revoked)! It was just a few weeks later that we decided to give the long distance relationship a shot - as I was in Chicago and he, Michigan City. Our time together has continued to be filled with laughs, love, support, advice, travels, music, friends, family, and Lincoln (our goldendoodle). Most importantly, we've grown to become the best we can be for each other and have always said that "team work makes the dream work".

One of our favorite weekend activities is to drive to Michigan for an afternoon hike. And on the rare occasion, when we don't have any plans, you can find us in Sawyer, Michigan on a Sunday afternoon hike followed by a crisp beverage at Greenbush Brewery. So the fact that Anthony had planned an afternoon hike and Greenbush trip on a Saturday was not out of the ordinary. Our friends Kyle and Nicki were in town that weekend from San Francisco - it was Kyle's mother's birthday and he came in to celebrate - how sweet! We wanted to share our favorite activity with them so the 5 of us (Lincoln is the 5th in case you thought my counting was off) headed up to Michigan. The weather was a little bit more brisk than we had hoped but that didn't dampen our plans in the slightest. We were about thirty minutes into our favorite trail, where we hit the set of old wooden, sandy stairs, which is our favorite portion of the trail because it gives the most beautiful view of Lake Michigan through the trees, when I heard Anthony say "hey!". I turned around to find the biggest grin on his face and a ring box in his hand. He got down on one knee and proposed so perfectly. I said yes and now we are here! But, remember when I said Kyle and Nicki flew in town for his mother's birthday - well...they flew in just to be with us on our engagement day! We are truly grateful for the love that surrounds us.