We're getting married!

We had both expressed an interest in ice skating ⛸️ and so decided to meet up at Nathan Phillips Square for our first date. Unbeknownst to Kevin, Michelle took her ice skating very seriously, and had decided to bring her own skates on the date (in a rather large bag). Luckily for Michelle, Kevin knew all too well how bad the rental skates were... and appreciated the enthusiasm. The date quickly progressed to dinner, which was followed by drinks. The conversation flowed easily for the entire date and we even talked about riveting topics like mortgage rates and stocks. We could tell that neither of us wanted the night to end... so we met up again the next day, despite the hangovers from the sangria, and the rest is history! ❤️

What better way to introduce Michelle to the South than a trip to Music City, USA? 🎸 The 4-hour drive from Atlanta was filled with anticipation and the type of conversation that makes time fly by. Music City didn't disappoint and we were soon met with live country music, bright neon lights, Instagram-worthy restaurants 🍽️, cowboy hats 🤠 and cowboy boots 👢, and thick Southern accents... We realized quickly that traveling together was even more fun than we thought it would be! Fast forward to November 2024, we liked Nashville so much that we went back and bought cowboy boots and hats! 🤠👢

Dating across borders meant lots of Zoom calls, ridiculously expensive flights, and counting down to our next visit. We got really good at watching shows together virtually (shoutout to Teleparty) and playing boardgames online. Michelle would sometimes catch Kevin multi-tasking on the side during Zoom dates (>.>). While dating long distance made us truly appreciate the time that we had together, we knew that we wanted to close the distance for good. ❤️✈️

Has to be our trip to Europe this past summer! This trip had it all – a cancelled flight to start the trip 😵‍💫, picturesque scenery 🏔️, great food 🍝, shopping along cobblestone paths 🛍️, castles (so many castles) 🏰, long drives through the Slovenian countryside 🚗, and an argument on a rowboat at Lake Bled. We both look back on that day and laugh about it now (ask us about it during the wedding if you're so inclined! 😂). We also couldn't believe how cheap everything was compared to Italy and got to stay in really nice hotels at very affordable prices (Michelle was raving about our hotel in Portorož on the Adriatic for weeks afterwards). All in all, Slovenia really exceeded our expectations, and we definitely plan on going back in the future! Hvala Slovenia! 🇸🇮✨

We had made plans to celebrate Michelle's 30th birthday in New York City🗽, and this trip would be the highlight of Michelle's 3-week visit to the U.S. August 3rd started with a quick stop at the Empire State Building, before heading to Michelle's birthday lunch. After stuffing our faces full of sushi, we went to Broadway to watch Chicago. The sun was shining and there wasn't a cloud in sight. Just perfect. ☀️ After Chicago, we decided to head back to our hotel and change into our Sunday finest for a nice rooftop dinner with a view. Kevin had secretly rented out a private rooftop and hired a photographer to capture the forthcoming magical moment. As we started walking back to the hotel, we felt one raindrop... then another. Soon, it was pouring rain 🌧️🌧️🌧️ and we were still 5 blocks away. By the time we got back to the hotel, both of us were thoroughly drenched like the scene in The Notebook. As you might imagine, one of us was stressed out beyond all imagination and the other was wondering why that certain someone was freaking out because of a little rain... Anyway we quickly dried off, changed into some dry clothes, and headed off to the "rooftop dinner"... where Michelle quickly realized this was in fact, not a rooftop dinner, but a proposal! 💍🌹Due to the rain, we only spent ~10 minutes on the rooftop (out of the 60 minute reservation) but it became more even more memorable due to the day's events!

We're living together in Kevin's condo for now, although we are actively house shopping (and may have moved since the time of writing...!). We have really enjoyed living in the same city and we get to do everything together (for better or for worse), without counting down the days until we next see each other. From our daily routine to wedding planning (send help), house shopping (send more help), and dreaming about our future travels, we’re soaking in every moment of this journey. And we can’t wait to celebrate with all of you! 💕