We are so excited to celebrate with you!

We met on New Year’s Eve, while at a hockey tournament in Detroit with mutual friends through Michigan Tech. After the tournament, the group went to go celebrate the New Year, and we gravitated towards each other all night. We talked and talked, and learned that we had a lot of similar interests and hobbies. The next morning, Grant was working up the courage to ask Claudia for her number when she asked “Will I see you again?” Grant quickly replied “If you let me.” After that, we made plans to see each other again. After spending a few weekends of getting to know each other, we quickly realized that we had something special. We started to make the 3.5 hour drive between Grand Rapids and Chicago to see each other, and soon enough we had plans to see each other every weekend until Grant had to move to Virginia. Fast forward to the holiday season, while Claudia and Lance were out to dinner, Grant asked Claudia’s father Doug for her hand in marriage, and he replied “Absolutely!” We then made the long trip back to Grant’s apartment in Virginia, with plans to do a few hikes and spend the New Year’s celebrations together. On January 1, 2020, Claudia and Grant decided to hike along the Appalachian Trail to McAfee’s Knob, a beautiful lookout over Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains. When they arrived at the summit, they waited for their turn to go out to the “vista” of the summit. During this time, Grant started to talk over their relationship and his love for Claudia. When it was their turn to go to the vista, they walked out to the point, and Grant said, “ I asked your dad and he said I could.” When Grant started reaching for his pocket, Claudia muttered “OH MY GOSH, WHAT?” and watched as Grant pulled out the ring box, knelt down on one knee, and asked her to marry him. Claudia had no idea Grant was going to ask her to marry him this day or that there was a photographer there to capture every moment - but she always knew her answer would be “yes.” The rest is history!