How We Met We first met at SE’Z, the bar Devon owns. From the start, there was just something about being around each other that felt natural—and it didn’t take long before one drink turned into a lifetime of plans. The First Dates Our first official date was at Devon’s place, where he made chicken alfredo with scallops. At the time, I wasn’t huge into seafood, so I was very confused why we were having “scalloped potatoes” with pasta—turns out, it was the fancy kind of scallops! For our first big night out, Devon planned a trip to Duluth to see Five Finger Death Punch, Three Days Grace, and Bad Wolves. (I wasn’t much of a rock fan until Devon converted me to “the good music.”) When we got there, we found out the show had been canceled—but that didn’t stop us. Instead, we had dinner at Little Angie’s Cantina, bowled a few games, and made memories that were better than the concert itself. The Journey Since then, we’ve been building a beautiful life together. We’ve bought a home and are slowly making it our own through renovations. We share our lives with our sweetest fur baby, Malakai. We enjoy spending as much time as possible on the jet skis, and take road trips whenever we can—especially our yearly fishing trip to Canada and visits to see family. We love going to concerts together (still chasing those rock shows whenever we can!), and Devon has introduced me to the best foods out in New Jersey—pizza and subs that set the bar high. Closer to home, our favorite go-to spot is Fuji in St. Cloud. And of course, somewhere along the way, Devon finally hired me at SE’Z, so now we even get to work side by side. The Proposal For our anniversary, Devon surprised me with a trip to Duluth—back to where our very first date had been. We ate at Little Angie’s Cantina again, even sitting in the same booth, before heading to Bentleyville, one of my favorite Christmas traditions. While I thought we were rushing through the lights to find the Grinch for a picture, Devon had a much bigger plan in mind. After a little help from Bentleyville staff, we finally spotted the Grinch—and while I was distracted by the thought of him photobombing our picture, Devon got down on one knee. It had just started to snow, and in the middle of the twinkling lights, he asked me to marry him. (He may have had to ask twice—I was so shocked the first time I thought I’d imagined it!) It felt like our own little snow globe moment. Complete strangers cheered for us, we were given a special tour under the giant Christmas tree, and we’ll never forget celebrating that magical night surrounded by elves, reindeer, and even the abominable snowman. Looking Forward We’re so excited to continue building our life together, with hopes of starting a family in the future. We can’t wait to celebrate this next chapter with all of you!