We're so excited to celebrate with you!

A week before Thanksgiving in 2018, Mike made a quick trip down to Louisville, KY, with his friend Kevin to escape the city and visit an old college friend, Rob. They made their way to Rob's house and went to the closest pub to him in Germantown, The Pearl. The prices were far too cheap for Mike to believe them, as he had never been to Kentucky. He saw a sign behind the bar that read, "PB&J - $4.00". As is custom for any good bar in Chicago, that typically would mean a Pabst Blue Ribbon and a shot of Jameson. Mike inquired with the bartender, "is that the sandwich or is that the beer/shot combo?" The bartender replied, "oh no that is a cocktail." With pure bewilderment, Mike pressed for details, which the bartender sardonically snapped, "of course it's the sandwich." Mike realizing he's fallen for a rouse, exclaimed "Give me a break, I'm from Chicago!" A little before midnight on November 16th, those seven words would change the course of his life, for it wasn't just the bartender who heard them, but a beautiful young woman named Kiley who was within earshot, had heard her hometown said aloud. "Wait, you're from Chicago? I am too and I'm moving back there!" she would say. Time melted away in that moment, as they came to discover mutual friends and mutual interests. Over half a year of long distance dating culminated in a one-way rental truck, destination: Chicago. The country fell into a Pandemic, which gave Mike & Kiley even more time to figure out if things were right, and right they were. On a snowy Saturday in late January 2021, armed with hand-written notes from their major milestones over the previous months including moving in together, buying a ring, asking for her hand, Mike would take a knee in Oz Park where they used to picnic together and asked her the most important question of all. Will you marry me?