We’re getting married!

Michael and Hannah met at Hannah’s community group in St. Louis, which Michael crashed one random Tuesday. We started dating, then broke up because Michael was graduating from seminary in two months and moving to Michigan. A few weeks later, we started hanging out again, then decided to start dating for real. Michael left to be a pastor in Michigan, and Hannah stayed in St. Louis. We dated long distance for almost a full year, then Hannah moved to Michigan. Almost a year after that, Michael popped the question!

Michael and Hannah had plans to go on a date to celebrate their love (NOT Valentine’s day, which is a commercialized holiday created by the card industry... but that’s for another time). We went to Ann Arbor and started walking towards the mystery restaurant that Michael had picked out. At a red light, Michael noted that we were early for our reservation, so we could keep walking for a few minutes. Hannah suggested going into our favorite bookstore across the street to warm up instead. After wandering around for a few minutes analyzing cookbook designs together, Michael called Hannah over to look at a plant-based cookbook. Hannah looked up and (finally!) saw the book she had been trying to find to show Michael! She picked up the book and opened it up—only to find that it was hollowed out and an open ring box was inside! In true Michael fashion, he said, “Do you think it’s possible that someone would know you so well to orchestrate a whole plan that made you think you were deciding everything when really you were just following the plan to your own engagement?” Then he said a bunch of nice things, pried the book from Hannah’s nervous-excited death grip, and popped the question! (We did end up having a reservation, in case you were wondering. Hannah was starving.)

About a year into dating, we discovered that a mutual friend had wanted to set us up before the two of us ever met, but she decided not to because she knew Michael would have disliked Hannah on principle. We're both vegan. (And, yes, we were vegan before we met each other.) On our first date, Michael tried to get Hannah to pick up Denver (who was a puppy at the time), but she wouldn't because she has no upper body strength. Michael was so put off by this that he almost didn't ask her out again. Ice cream is a fundamental part of our relationship. Most of Hannah's journal entries from our two months of dating in St. Louis say, "Got ice cream with Mike."