We met when we were just 18 and 19 years old. Nate had just returned from the military and was heading to a job interview at Menards Distribution Center. His friends dropped him off… and then promptly forgot about him. After waiting in the freezing cold in a nice shirt, khakis, and cowboy boots, he started walking from Iron Ridge to Mayville. Eventually, they picked him up with an apology and a promise: “We found a girl for you.” That girl was Sommer. Later that day, Nate was carrying a giant stuffed bear downstairs while eating a Taco Bell burrito when Sommer walked in. Their eyes met and that was it. Instant connection. Sommer remembers thinking “whew.” Nate remembers thinking she was “pretty hot.” A very romantic beginning, clearly. From that first meeting, they were inseparable. Even when people said they shouldn’t be together, they were. And they have been ever since. They didn’t just fall in love. They grew up together. Through teenage years, early adulthood, and everything in between, they’ve learned, changed, laughed, and built a life side by side. As Sommer says, not everyone is lucky enough to grow up with the person they met so young. And as Nate would add, she’s not a cloud on a rainy day… she’s more like a lightning bolt. Beautiful, powerful, and impossible to ignore. From a freezing walk and a giant stuffed bear to a lifetime together, this is just the beginning of their forever. 💛