We met while working at Northeastern (Amanda was in the International Students Office and Michael was working in the Veteran Students office), and had connected at after-work get-togethers. While trying to plan a first date, Michael mentioned that he was planning to go to Niagara Falls for the winter break and Amanda asked if anyone was going with him. Michael said no, and Amanda offered to go with him... so their first date was a ten-hour road trip to Niagara Falls and they've been inseparable ever since.

Michael proposed on a family vacation to Hilton Head, South Carolina, where Amanda grew up going on vacation. He asked her mom for permission the day before they had planned to take a Zodiac tour. On the day, they went on a boat tour of the low country, seeing dolphins, jellyfish, and cranes, before the captain dropped them off at an island that was made up of millions of shells. Mike told Amanda that he was hoping to find a shiny shell to take home, and while Amanda was helping him look, he placed the ring in a shiny shell and then called her over. Amanda wasn't expecting a proposal at all, so her first thought was that someone on a previous tour had lost her ring! While she was busy trying to think about how the ring could be reunited with its rightful owner, Mike got down on one knee and proposed (PS- Amanda said yes).