We're getting married!

We met in the fall of 2018 as servers at Yesterday's, a small steakhouse in Granger, IN known for their enormous and delectable desserts. We became fast friends, bonding over our shared love of classic rock and commiserating over waiting on parties of 20+ together at Christmas. It didn't take long for our friendship to blossom into flirtation and before either of us realized, we had "caught feelings" as the kids say nowadays. After a couple of pretty serious conversations early on we knew. Everything, from the very beginning of our relationship, felt meant to be. Both of our soccer numbers had been 19, the same as Nicole's birth date. It also happens that the conversation that served as the catalyst to our relationship took place on 1/19. Those, and so many other signs, along with a bond that made it feel like we had known each other our whole lives made us realize that we had something for which we had been waiting our whole lives. It's true what they say: when you know - you know.

After the tumultuous first half of 2020, we needed a getaway; so we booked a short trip to Traverse City, MI for Brooks's 31st birthday. We were really excited to explore the beautiful wineries, beaches, and most importantly - search for Petoskey stones and other unique rocks. We had recently become enthralled with the history of Petoskey stones and the rarity of finding them on the beaches of NW Michigan (they were moved throughout the state by a glacier thousands of years ago). The whole process is reminiscent of a scavenger hunt, and we'd be happy to tell you more about these enthralling rocks some other time. You're here to read about a different kind of rock.... On our first morning in Traverse City we packed up the car and drove an hour and a half north to Petoskey - the stone Mecca if you will. We landed at the Petoskey State Park and began our hunt. About an hour in, and no Petoskey stones found yet, we decided to take a walk in the dunes. A few moments later, Brooks is on one knee holding a gorgeous ring that was made with Nicole's maternal grandmother's diamond. Neither of us clearly remember what followed other than a lot of tears, disbelief, and pure joy. Eventually (and obviously!) Nicole said yes and we began the next step of our lives together.