Grant has always loved me. Or perhaps I have always loved Grant. Either way, Grant and I have ALWAYS had that little *spark.* Yes, we dated when we were 14 & went to prom together. But our love story truly began in college, when Grant wanted to see me SO adamantly while visiting Des Moines that he brought me 100 McChickens to my sorority house. He professed his love for me and I of course admitted my feelings for him... but then I put him to the test... and (not surprisingly) Grant is quite good at tests. Throughout our courtship, especially in the beginning, I asked Grant to try sushi with me, took him to sorority events, and even asked him to salsa dance in front of 400 people for charity. Keep in mind - Grant doesn't love attention, and he especially doesn't love salsa dancing! Grant's also a meat guy - so sushi was a bit different than his typical meaty dish. He took everything in stride AND with a smile. After a few of my "tests" I realized that Grant was sticking around for awhile. I also realized that I was absolutely falling in love with him, and that truthfully deep down I always knew he was the man I would be spending the rest of my life with. From the front porch of Greek Street to our new neighborhood in Minneapolis, Grant has always been the yin to my yang and the Johnny to my June. He is truly the best teammate in life. We are so excited for our adventure ahead!

The day I proposed to Madeline I was laying on the floor at my parent’s house and I could hardly move. I’m not kidding, I felt paralyzed. I wanted everything to be perfect. We had concocted a brilliant plan – her parents, Natalie and Jack had all made their way from Denver to Des Moines to surprise her (we missed Jake due to Covid-19 social distancing). She had just finished her last day of law school, and I’m pretty sure she had no idea that I was proposing because I made up some story that I had to drive to Minnesota to get fingerprinted for residency. We just had to get the logistics right. I KNEW she had to have her nails done and be dressed up. I also knew that she wanted her family to be there. We had a little mishap about two weeks before where Madeline thought I might be proposing and made sure to tell me her requests 😉. Anyway, I was laying on the floor palms sweaty, knees weak, arms were heavy… and I get a phone call. It’s Madeline. I was wrestling within myself – do I answer? What do I say? She thinks I’m driving… so I hopped in my car and literally drove back and forth across Lake Red Rock and called her back. She was on a walk and just wanted to talk, and talk, and she was going to her grandma’s house for a fancy dinner, but she didn’t have her makeup but Natalie might let her use it… and how Natalie never lets her use anything but is being really nice about letting her wear her makeup… anyway. I was just happy she was talking away and not asking too many questions. We had planned that Natalie was going to make Madeline get dressed up and take photos around the Capitol complex. Photographer Amy Doerring was going to meet us there, as were her parents and mine, aunts and uncles that lived in Des Moines, and grandparents for a drive by. When I saw Madeline at the Capitol, my nerves calmed. I proposed – she said yes, and we celebrated at Madeline’s loft downtown. It was perfect.