After briefly dating while attending Urbandale High School, Michael and Mack kept in touch throughout the years. During Mack's gap year back in Des Moines, Michael would drive down from Ames every week to grab drinks with Mack at "their spot;" Hyvee's Market Grille. Eventually their friendship turned to love and they endured a year of long distance while Mack started law school in Chicago. Their journey then took them to Colorado where Michael started as the Assistant Wrestling Coach at the University of Northern Colorado. Mack followed him to Colorado and transferred to the University of Denver. Now, over ten years later from when they met, Mack and Michael now have their own little family in Colorado consisting of themselves, their goldendoodle, Lenny, and their pug puppy, Barrington.

Their first night hanging out after Mack had moved back to Des Moines consisted of a lot of drinking at a local bar. They concocted a plan to ride their bikes in the following morning's Thanksgiving turkey trot. It was raining and miserable, but it was just the first of many poorly planned adventures together. A few years later, Michael took Mack on another bike ride over the High Trestle Trail with both of their parents. After a few drinks along the way, the crew headed nearby to the Ledges State Park where Mack had spent her summer holidays. While hiking along a trail, Mack and Michael were "separated" from the rest of the group and Michael started to reminisce aloud about their summer spent together before Mack had moved to Chicago. Michael then got down on one knee and asked for Mack's hand in marriage; she said yes! Once emerging from the trailhead, all four parents were waiting for them with glasses of champagne and they hurried home to tell the dogs.