Nick first messaged Mikelle on Hinge, but she left him on read—for a while. Not because she wasn't interested, but because she was busy debating whether or not to respond to this clearly amazing (and possibly too-good-to-be-true) guy. Eventually, on Christmas Eve—perhaps feeling extra generous—she decided to give him a chance. From that moment, our messages flew back and forth like a rom-com montage. After days of nonstop conversation (and making sure Nick wasn’t secretly a weirdo), we finally met in person on December 27th. We talked, we laughed, sparks were flying and neither of us ran for the exit—so clearly, it was meant to be. And the rest? Well, the rest is history.

In late June, we took off on a dreamy adventure to Alaska, trading the summer heat for misty mountains and wild landscapes. One afternoon, under a soft drizzle, we set off on a hike that led to a breathtaking alpine lake. As the trail wound higher, so did the suspense—at least for Nick. When we finally reached the shoreline, Nick began pacing around like a man on a mission, scanning the shoreline to "find a good snack spot", but his actual mission was far more important. In a blink, Nick gave a sweet speech and dropped to one knee. Mikelle lit up with excitement and shouted an enthusiastic "Yes!" while literally jumping for joy. And just like that, the moody weather turned magical. The rest of our trip was filled with cozy smiles, excitement for the future, and a sparkling ring that Mikelle couldn’t stop smiling about. We came back with a great story to share, and an exciting start to our next chapter.