James and Michaela met at work. They were friendly with each other but James didn't make a move until one day when he saw that Michaela was in a sad mood. He offered to cheer her up in the only way he knew how: to bring her squirrel hunting. Michaela had never been hunting but was up for the adventure. Though they did not end up getting a squirrel, they did find out that they should continue going on adventures, as trying new things together turned out to be one of their favorite things to do as a couple.

James and Michaela went on a spectacular trip together in March of '22 to Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, and Romania. After witnessing missionaries work in the field and meeting refugees from the war, Michaela had already categorized this trip as a life-changing event. James also decided it was going to be life changing for the two of them. On the last night of the trip, James brought Michaela to the city of Cluj-Napoca, where they had dinner and ended up on hill that overlooked the city. James asked Michaela if she enjoyed the whole trip, and she said "Yes!" James then asked if she would do it again. "Absolutely!" He then asked, "Will you do it with me for the rest of our lives?" "Really?" And as you can predict, James asked Michaela if she would marry him, and she said yes!