Haley grew up and graduated from Madison Public High School in Madison, NE in 2015. Mark wasn't far, growing up in Norfolk, NE, and graduating from Norfolk Public High School that same year. Following graduation, Haley and Mark both attended Northeast Community College (NECC) in Norfolk, NE. Mark obtained his electromechanical degree and completed the utility line technician program, while Haley completed her Associates Degree in Nursing to begin her career as Registered Nurse. Despite growing up just 15 minutes apart and attending the same college, Mark and Haley still had never met. After finishing college, both Mark and Haley decided to move to Lincoln to start their careers. Haley accepted a job working in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at St. Elizabeth Hospital in July of 2020. Much to her surprise, her nursing school friend (and Mark's brother), Jake, had also accepted a job working as a nurse on the same unit. Mark began his career in Lincoln just one year earlier, doing maintenance work at Kawasaki in Lincoln. Later, Mark left Kawasaki and accepted a position working as a substation technician for Nebraska Public Power District where he still works today. Haley now works as a Vascular Access Nurse at Bryan Health in Lincoln.

Haley and Mark both moved to Lincoln shortly before the peak of the COVID pandemic. For Mark, the pandemic was an inconvenience, but for those in healthcare, it was a nightmare. Colleagues in healthcare quickly became family. Of the many friendships that developed during her time working in the ICU, two were particularly important to Mark and Haley's story, Mark's brother, Jake, and his now wife, Anahi. Haley and Anahi became very close friends, both at work, and outside of work. Eventually, Anahi and Jake became a couple, and Haley quickly became their favorite "third wheel". They graciously invited Haley to tag along on many of their dates and adventures. Jake and Anahi had made many mentions of Mark to Haley, and of Haley to Mark. Despite growing up within 15 miles of each other, having mutual friends, and even attending some of the same parties in college, the two had never met. Confident they would make a great match, Jake and Anahi had tried for some time to set the two up together. Finally, in Spring of 2022, they had succeeded in their matchmaking efforts. Haley and Mark first crossed paths at Anahi's house in March of 2022. Haley was, in Mark's words, "quiet and weird" but Mark being Mark, attempted to break the ice with her that night by eating a scorpion from the bottom of a bottle of tequila. Though it was gross, it definitely made for a memorable first impression. In early April of 2022, Jake and Anahi embarked on their travel nursing journey together, and Haley and Mark were then left to their own devices in Lincoln. One evening shortly they first met, Mark offered to pick Haley up to go for a drive around town to which Haley agreed. After driving all around Lincoln and talking until almost 2 am (knowing they both had to work in a few hours), they were forced to call it a night. Mark returned Haley home, and from that point on they became best friends. On May 7th of 2022, Mark asked Haley to be his girlfriend. In Early December 2024, Mark and Haley traveled to the Dominican Republic for vacation, and on December 3rd, 2024, Mark asked Haley to marry him on the beautiful beaches of Punta Cana. They now live together (along with their kitty Bella, aka "Bean") at their home in Lincoln, and are so excited to embark on all their new adventures as husband and wife.