Nothing Fancy, Just Love.

Typically, Ashley will pause and look to Mitch for him to answer first. Mitch will blurt out, "I just sent her a message on Messenger." Ashley then will quickly add, "Technically, it was through our dads." You know, to make it sound less creepy than him "just sliding into my DMs." You see, our dads used to work together before Ashley's retired. During those years, our parents hung out, but our paths never crossed. Well, Mitch claims there was this brief introduction almost 15 years ago, but Ashley has no recollection. So, she figured that if it wasn't memorable, then it didn't happen. Luckily, Mitch's initial rejection didn't stop him from trying again! After learning from his dad one day that Ashley was available, he took a chance and asked her to dinner. Ashley was super hesitant to go on a date with practically a complete stranger, but after some encouragement from friends who said, "Really, what do you have to lose?" she agreed. Little did we know, after a casual fish fry at Patsy's, we'd be saying "I do" just 2.5 years later.

On the morning of the proposal, we woke up ready for a fun day of adventures with family and friends, with Ashley completely unaware of what Mitch had planned. Looking back, the clues were there! For one, Mitch insisted on bringing a backpack for just a sweatshirt and a water bottle. Ashley thought it was odd but assumed it was because he didn’t want to ask her to carry his things since he had a broken foot and needed either crutches or a knee scooter. The day began at the DECC, where we explored Jurassic Quest with family. Immediately after getting out of the car, Mitch checked his backpack—something Ashley noticed and thought was odd but brushed off. By the end of the Quest, everyone except Ashley knew what was going to happen later in the day. In the afternoon, we headed to Canal Park to meet Ashley’s friend Amanda and her daughter, Kaja, for more fun. Little did Ashley know, they had been part of the big surprise for weeks! When we arrived, Mitch went to his backpack again. This time, Ashley asked what he was doing, and he said he was deciding whether to grab a sweatshirt. It was 80°. A sweatshirt?! Come on. Turns out, he was actually grabbing the ring box for Amanda to hold onto in Kaja’s stroller. We played at the children’s park, walked out to the lighthouse and under the lift bridge, and even stopped for lemonade. At some point, Amanda stealthily returned the ring to Mitch without Ashley suspecting a thing. Throughout the afternoon, Ashley kept checking in with Mitch because it was a lot of time on his feet while he was still early in his recovery. He was sweaty and quiet, so Ashley worried he was in pain but didn’t want to say anything. Turns out, he wasn’t in pain at all—he was just nervous about what was about to happen! As we headed back to cross the footbridge, Mitch piped up and suggested, “Let’s take a picture by the water.” Ashley agreed since she’s often scolded for not taking enough pictures together. Mitch hopped over on one foot and positioned himself next to Ashley by the railing over the water. Ashley thought it was just a photo, but when Mitch began shaking uncontrollably, she grew concerned and asked if he was okay. He turned to look at her, and that’s when she realized this wasn’t just a picture. Mitch had been rehearsing his speech in his mind all day, but when the moment came, he lost his words. As the sun sparkled over Lake Superior, Mitch got down on one knee and asked Ashley to be his wife. Ashley nervously laughed (which made Mitch even more nervous) and, in the excitement, didn’t catch half of what he tried to say. The moment, however, was perfectly us. Ashley said yes, we hugged, and Amanda squealed with excitement! As we walked back to our cars, we both felt so full of joy. We couldn’t stop reflecting on how special the moment was and how lucky we are to have found each other. We’re so excited to start this new adventure together and to celebrate with all of you soon!