After two years of long distance dating, we were ready to be married, but distance and COVID made us feel like it was irresponsible and unfair to plan a big wedding as we had hoped in the summer of 2021. When Michael got a job at Union College (where Jill works), the distance problem was solved, but the COVID piece was not. So, on April 10, 2021, we had a smaller ceremony with our parents and siblings, and are now excited to announce our wedding celebration on June 26, 2022! We are hopeful that all will be able to attend and that we can treat that date as the wedding of our dreams, unhindered by COVID and surrounded by our loved ones. We are asking that gifts, if you are so inclined, to wait for the upcoming celebration.

Michael and Jill met online in 2019 while Jill was in Des Moines at Women's Retreat. Michael's first message said: "Hey! So since you're from South Dakota, I'm guessing I can piece together your life story! I'm being you're from the Black Hills, and you moved to Iowa where it is more flat. Why'd you move? Because you were traumatized by hills as a child when you climbed up one with a boy named Jack and then he broke his crown and you tumbled down after." This made Jill chuckle, but she didn't respond for two days. Michael thought it was a lost cause. But then, when Jill returned home to Missouri, she messaged Michael back. They've talked every day since.

After talking every day for weeks, they finally decided to meet. Jill didn’t know who to stay with in Des Moines, and her schedule was crazy, so Michael drove the 4.5 hour trip to Missouri. They carved pumpkins and had pumpkin cookies. In the end, both felt like it did not go well and that it might be over. But the one person Jill wanted to talk about how she felt was Michael, so she called him and they talked through it. They met again in November, and everything seemed to click. (In October 2020, Michael recreated the first date and it went much better!)

When they decided they were getting married, Jill really wanted to be able to have a bit of an official engagement. They decided they would announce their engagement on Sunday, March 21 while together in Lincoln, but soon after Michael had to go back to Des Moines. That evening Jill shared with Michael that she was disappointed that they probably wouldn't be able to have a proposal story. Little did she know that Michael would drive all the way back to Lincoln just to surprise her with flowers, candles, and pictures of their adventures spelling out "Will You Marry Me?" the very next day. After several happy tears, she said yes! Three weeks later, they got married!