It all started with a swipe in September 2020. While Jake was mostly impressed with the picture of Maggie next to the Cub’s World Series trophy, Maggie was mostly enamored with Jake’s dog, Jessica. She was less impressed with the corporate headshot Jake used as his dating profile picture ('the only picture of himself he has', according to him). It took them about a month to find time to finally meet in person, and their first date was tacos at Mago in Arlington Heights. They both had a wonderful time, despite multiple interruptions from Maggie’s brother Matthew, who was very concerned Maggie would forget to bring ice to her niece’s birthday that afternoon. Their second date just happened to be on Jake’s birthday, a fact that Jake elected not to share with Maggie for fear of putting too much pressure on the date. Maggie put the clues together, when Jake mentioned celebrating his (twin) brother’s birthday recently after. It wasn’t long before Maggie and Jake started spending as much time as they could together. Maggie enjoyed steering Jake away from the metal section of the record store, as they searched hard for music they could enjoy together. Jake was in awe at the strategic efficiency at which Maggie navigated Target. Somewhere in between long walks with Jess and long talks late into the night, they fell in love. After Christmas of that year, they both knew they had something special. Living apart was hard (despite being 10 minutes away from each other). Maggie, apparently missing her childhood with two wild boys decided to let Jake and his son Colin move in to her Palatine townhouse. Maggie, Jake, Colin and Jess loved taking adventures to the parks, library, restaurants and festivals in Palatine together. An unsuspecting Maggie came home exhausted from work one Friday night in mid-December 2022. All she wanted to do was lie down, so she was a little annoyed when Jake insisted they immediately play one of their favorite games, a game which required deep answers to deep questions. When Maggie pulled the first card from the deck however, she forgave Jake’s impatience as the card read ‘Will You Marry Me’? Not content with the stress of planning a wedding alone, they decided it would be a good time to buy a house in Pingree Grove that needed just a little TLC. But the past year Maggie, Jake, Colin and Jess have loved making their new home and town their own. Maggie and Jake cannot wait to share their special day with all their friends and family, and to continue to build a life together.