In Spring of 2014, Silvie volunteered to help at a Coe College fraternity philanthropy event, the Chili Cook Off. Her job was to run the letter writing station for soldiers overseas. Michael, a member of the fraternity, noticed Silvie at the desk and came up with the clever idea of asking her to proofread his letter--as a way of introducing himself. They had never met, despite Coe College's relatively small study body of 1,300. Silvie looked at his letter and, much to Michael's disappointment, wasn't overly impressed (i.e., she was "playing it cool"). She does remember feeling some pretty darn sweet chemistry though. As fate would have it, they ran into each other that same night through mutual friends, despite never having directly crossed paths prior to that day! A first date rapidly ensued, and it wasn't long before they were inseparable and madly in love. They adore hanging out together with their beloved beautiful dog, Ruby, and handsome snuggly cat, Rafa.