Dave and I met randomly through a mutual friend, Terri. He was working at Theda Clark with her and I went to nursing school with her. Dave saw some sarcastic post that I made on Facebook on her page and thought "wow, she seems awesome" (or something totally similar) and inquired about me. He was told by Terri that I was a lost cause after I expressed no interest in meeting him. Dave wasn't being let down so easily, so him and Terri schemed and she invited him along to a girls night at Señor Tequilas downtown Appleton. I was completely unaware that he was coming so I'm enjoying my margarita(s) and chips and salsa and up walks Dave. Terri got quite the convincing death stare as Dave sat down. Dave proceeded to warm my cold soul with his personality and being not remotely apologetic for how nerdy he was. We proceeded to hang out as a group for a few hours before parting ways for the night. Dave sent me a Facebook friend request that night and I accepted. In a Facebook message he asked for my number and asked if I wanted to go on a date with just him sometime. I said no thanks to giving him my number and told him I wasn't really looking to date anyone. Instead of taking my cold shoulder and walking away, in one last ditch effort, Dave sent me the link to Carly Rae Jepson's "Call me Maybe" video and typed "Here's my number... so call me maybe.." with his number. I pondered it and added his number to my phone. I believe I made him wait a few days, and I texted him and said yes to a date. And, he got my number.

Dave and I decided to go out for pizza for our first date. It was a Sunday night and I told him I would meet him there (clearly I had a way out if it sucked..!) We split a pizza and I actually had a nice time with him. My expectations were low because I was definitely not looking for a relationship but I was impressed with how much he had traveled, his life story, and how motivated he was to return to school. He was interesting to listen to and genuinely interested in what I had to say too. After dinner he told me that he had something else planned for us if I wanted to continue hanging out. I agreed and he took me to Funset Boulevard to play Super Mario Kart. He had heard I was good at it (I totally am) and thought it would be something fun and nontraditional (he was right.) We were surrounded by a bunch of kids and were two kids ourselves. I beat him the first game and I really don't think he expected that. The second game he was seriously trying to beat me and he did. We played for a few hours and it was some hot competition. I had a blast. Easily the best date I had ever been on. He didn't let me win and I didn't feel like I needed to let him win either. After Funset, we went to Copper Rock coffee and had a coffee drink. We just sat and talked and it really did not feel like a first date. He was a genuinely nice guy (this was very evident from the beginning) and I almost did not want it to end. We drove back to the pizza place to pick up his car and he gave me a kiss and went on home, telling me that he hoped he would see me again soon. I hoped so, too.

Dave and I started dating in 2012. He talked about marriage initially and both kind of agreed that we weren't in any rush to get married (I wasn't even sure that I wanted to get married). We moved in together, then bought a house, got a few dogs, and started a life together with marriage being on the back burner. I had to finish school (again, and again!) and Dave was advancing in his job field so we really weren't in a rush. Eventually, the conversation came up again and I realized that I did want to get married. Dave agreed. He discussed the ring I wanted (poor guy had no idea what he was getting in to!) and we agreed that we would get married. That was enough for me so while it took Dave awhile to save up for my dream ring (still can't believe it!) I knew it was coming at some point and that was good enough. December 23rd, 2017 started with us finishing cleaning up our house as we were hosting Christmas with my family. I took a shower and was getting ready and I came through the kitchen to grab something and there was a large, rectangular box sitting wrapped on the kitchen table. Dave walked out behind me and was kind of smiling all weird and I said something about it being a Christmas present for me? He smiled and told me I could open it early. I shook the present (because who doesn't?) and it was clearly a jigsaw puzzle. Anyone who knows me knows how much I love puzzles so I was excited to get a new one. I unwrapped the paper and taped on the front of the puzzle box was a checklist in Dave's handwriting. 1) Buy the Ring - check 2) Ask Jon's permission - check 3) Open the box Laura.. In disbelief, I open the box. Within a 2000 piece jigsaw puzzle sat a ring box. I opened it and it was the ring I had dreamed about. I remember falling to the floor, crying, and Dave getting down on one knee and asking me to marry him. I don't remember if I ever actually said yes but I put the ring on and the rest is history!

Laura is a Registered Nurse working in GI procedures through Ascension Wisconsin. She is also a Registered Nurse at Tower Clock Surgery Center and works in eye procedures. She obtained her nursing degree from Fox Valley Technical College in Appleton, WI. She then obtained her Bachelor's degree from Western Governor's University in Utah. She is working toward her Master's degree in Nursing education also through Western Governor's University. She previously attended the University of Minnesota and has a Bachelor's degree in psychology. Laura is from Appleton, WI and the daughter of Jon and Pam Hagen. Laura enjoys doing puzzles, looking at adoptable dogs online and trying to convince Dave to adopt more dogs, and spending time with her good friends.

Dave works in Facilities through the city of Appleton, WI. His primary role is as the "pool guy" (no speedo included!) He ensures the maintenance and safety of the City of Appleton's two pools, Mead and Erb, and also the fountains within the city. He is from Manawa, WI and is the son of Joseph and the late Sandy Wentworth. He is a U.S. Army Veteran. Dave enjoys Star Wars, Dungeons and Dragons, and telling Laura that they cannot adopt any more dogs. He also is a skilled carpenter and has successfully and beautifully remodeled the majority of our home. In addition, he enjoys bringing more and more toys in to our house and trying to find a place to put them that isn't the kitchen!