It all started at a mini-golf course in east St. Paul. A swipe right and a few messages back and forth lead to our first date. Neither of us knew it at the time, but (as many of you know) we are both terrible with directions. Stacy couldn't find the parking lot and I kept running into locked doors and blocked corridors in the building. I decided to give it a fresh start and walked outside to see Stacy struggling with the garage door entrance. I laughed because I'd done the exact same thing moments before. I hopped in her car and together we finally made it to the venue (after, in true fashion, accidentally entering a brewery next door, and stopping for a drink or two). I'll never forget that evening. It was like I'd instantly met my best friend without ever actually knowing her. The whole night just felt right and flowed so smoothly. We shared stories, laughed, and opened up about topics we'd been guarding for awhile now. We felt both the connection and the calmness that our relationship provided and there was no going back after that. We'd found true love.

As our relationship continued to grow, Stacy came up with a great idea for "Date Days." We'd rotate each month and one of us would put together a morning/evening/day of activities. It's great because we actually plan something rather than sit there asking each other "what do you want to do?" or finally deciding on something just to find out that the event/reservation is booked. And the best part about this? I could use it as a cover for the proposal. There's a longstanding Spencer family tradition to propose over running water. Stacy grew up on the Mississippi so it seemed fitting to find a spot to propose over it. We loved the St. Anthony Main area and the Stone Arch Bridge seemed like the perfect spot. What could go wrong? So under the disguise of "Date Day" I told Stacy to be up bright and early for a morning coffee walk to start the day (and to avoid the bridge traffic). About two minutes before we arrived at the bridge, the photographer messaged me saying that the bridge was closed... I made up some poor excuse for Stacy to stay in the car and walked over to the security guard. I had the girl, the ring, the photographer, but he refused to open the gate. Now what? Scrambling I vaguely remembered a small bridge a half mile away. I had the photographer head there to verify there was water under it while I drove around sputtering nonsense trying to burn some time. This proposal was going to happen today. Well someone must have been looking out for us because the Merriam Bridge was much more our style. Quiet, quaint, tucked underneath the trees, with no signs of the city in the background. It was perfect. So I got down on a knee halfway down the old steel trusses and asked Stacy to be my wife.

Skiing has always been a big part of both of our lives growing up. Both Stacy and I were on skis by the age of 2. Stacy's dad, George, was on the ski patrol for local mountains in northern Minnesota and would take Stacy and her siblings skiing throughout their childhood. I grew up in Great Falls, MT and have many fond memories of family/friend trips to Showdown and Big Sky, as well as college shenanigans at Bridger Bowl. We both love the outdoors and are excited to start this next adventure together!