Paul and I met during the first week of my freshman year of college and his sophomore year. We lived in the same dorm hall for a year and became close friends throughout the 3 years we were both in college together. When Paul moved to the Twin Cities after graduating, we definitely missed each other and made it a priority to spend several friend dates together. On the night I graduated from college, Paul surprised me by showing up after my graduation ceremony. When we went out to celebrate, Paul "forgot" his wallet and we had to walk back to the apartment to get it. On the walk, I could tell he was nervous about something. As we started to get soaked in the rain, he gave me his jacket and took us on a detour. He pulled me aside and told me that he'd had a crush on me for a long time and wanted to take me on a date. A week later we spent the whole day together and I knew that this was something special. Ever since then, our relationship has continued to grow and are better friends now than ever.

In the spring of 2019, both Maddy and I moved to apartments in the same city and we were thankful to no longer be long distance. Over the next several months, we saw each other in new ways and I started to consider our future together. I knew exactly what ring I wanted to get Maddy and kept it tucked away under my bed for 3 months prior to the proposal, eagerly awaiting the right moment. On February 8th, I planned a surprise day with Maddy in Eau Claire. This city has a special place in our hearts since it's where we first met in college and have many memories of weekends spent going on dates. Our first stop of the day was at a local coffee shop called The Goat where we had several friend dates in the past. In the afternoon, we drove to Boyd Park which is our favorite ice skating spot in Eau Claire. As the sun was setting, I decided it was the perfect time to propose! We skated a little while longer as it felt surreal that I was going to marry my true love. We celebrated by having dinner at our favorite local restaurant, Mona Lisa's. It was a perfect way to end the day with my future wife!