We met in 2012 through friends, we often ran into each other at college parties, camping and bonfires. We went a few years without seeing each other as life was busy. Then in 2016 we ran into each other at the Wooden Nickel and immediately started chatting and catching up. Suddenly it was last call and we exchanged numbers and started talking every day.

The start of our relationship included many milestones, like college graduations, moving in together and new jobs. Nim was finishing up her Bachelors in Science of Nursing and graduated in 2017 and Ryan was finishing his Bachelors in Mechanical Engineering and graduated in 2018. We were living together at the yellow house on Wilkinson and experienced numerous adventures together (boats, snowmobiling, dirt bikes, jet skis, cruise to Jamaica and Haiti).

We ended up moving out of the Wilkinson house which lead us to our first home on Midway Drive in Negaunee. After two years of living in Negaunee we saw a friend on Facebook post about a litter of German Shepherds and we had been trying to find one for a while. We jumped on the opportunity and brought home Ruger in winter 2020. Lastly, Nim pursued her Masters degree and graduated with her Masters in Nursing and became a Nurse Practitioner in Fall 2021.

We had been talking about marriage, eloping, wedding ideas, etc. It was a hot July evening and we went out on the Dead River Basin (a favorite spot of ours not far from our house) with a few friends. We were heading back in as the sun was setting and Ryan had me stand up at the back of the boat (I thought he was going to push me in), but he got down on one knee and proposed. Our friends were kind enough to record the entire event and even brought champagne. It was a total surprise!