Welcome to our forever.

We met in college. Mike was the Resident Assistant in the building where we lived, and without planning it—between cups of tea, National Geographic episodes, and countless late-night conversations—we became inseparable friends. We were friends for nearly two years before becoming a couple. During that time, we supported each other through important decisions, like choosing to pursue medicine, and learned what unconditional support truly meant. The day of Isa’s graduation marked a turning point for Mike. It was a day filled with joy, pride, and admiration. Watching her celebrate her hard work and listening to her give a speech of gratitude—standing on a chair—made one thing unmistakably clear to him: our lives were meant to walk side by side. The very next day, just an hour after sharing his feelings with his father, Mike was already searching for the perfect place to propose. Mike knew that Isa loves sunflowers and the color yellow, so he searched until he found the perfect place: endless sunflower fields in North Dakota. He disguised the plan as a graduation trip to a nearby national park. Although he tried to take her out to dinner beforehand—barely managing a bite due to his nerves—the real moment arrived at sunset, surrounded by the scent of wild sage and an infinite field of sunflowers. With photographers hidden nearby and his heart racing, Mike took her hand, got down on one knee… and the rest is history. Being together changed the way we see life. Mike learned to find beauty in the smallest moments—the warmth of a cup of coffee, the colors of a sunset, laughter in moments of frustration. Isa found in Mike the support to face her hardest moments and the certainty that she is stronger, braver, and more capable than she ever imagined. Together, we have grown, become stronger, and learned that we are home to one another.

Mike is the anchor that always grounds me to where I need to be. ~Isa Isa taught me to look at life through a different lens. ~Mike