What started as exchanging smiles, pleasantries, and little trinkets, blossomed into something I never would have expected. After months of seeing Danielle sporadically, I shot my shot and asked to see her outside of our interactions at the Armory. It takes a little courage to cross that barrier, but I always felt strangely comfortable with Danielle. Our first date didn’t disappoint. We shared a tomahawk steak, a bottle of wine, and amazing conversation. I instantly knew we had found something real. I played it very cool. In fact, I waited four days into dating to tell Danielle I loved her…to which she responded “How do you know? Do you usually fall this hard?” My response was consistent, always saying “I’ve seen enough.” Eventually she reciprocated…Finally! The next year was filled with adventures. Whether traversing the Rocky Mountains on snowmobiles, hiking beautiful trails across Arizona, strolling hand-in-hand on the Chicago riverwalk, partaking in the NYC Christmas celebrations, attending Orchestra Hall, or enjoying our weekend ritual of visiting the farmers’ market for fresh food and flowers. For a couple of shorties, we’ve been doing it pretty big! All of this led to a beautiful engagement on Christmas Eve of 2025. Afterall, if you know Danielle, you know she loves Christmas, so it felt like a perfect time. Now here we are, on the precipice of becoming husband and wife, and I couldn’t be happier. I’m very proud of what our relationship represents. We are both extremely committed to growing together and loving each other forever. It’s an amazing thing, and at the same time humbling to be a part of. Here’s to the next chapter!

Somehow, our story started exactly where you’d expect ours to start — at the Armory (the best concert venue in Minneapolis). What began as quick conversations and passing moments slowly turned into Wade finding every excuse to make me smile. First it was little trinkets, then a larger grand piano trinket (my response was where do you expect me to put this while I’m at a concert) to casually asking if I was going to “afters” (out after the concert). Then, after a couple months, and a pound of silver he gifted me (LOL), he finally asked me on our first official date. Somewhere between the incredible dinner and the kind of conversation that made hours feel like minutes, I realized that I didn't want the night to end. During one of the first times Wade came to my place he decided to show me the movie he was in 'Georgia Rock'. I’m not sure if this was his way of impressing me or completely humiliating himself. Either way, it was the hardest we had laughed together and a memory I will never forget. His name in the movie was Rusty, the same name as the cat my Dad gave me. The synchronicities kept hitting me. From meeting a girl named Milo (my Dad's name) in the elevator on my way to see Wade, to spotting deer along the road nearly every time I drove between my place and his. The signs seemed impossible to ignore. With every one of them, I felt a deeper sense of home and a growing certainty that I was exactly where I was meant to be. After only a few days, Wade told me he loved me. Not long after, he told me he would marry me tomorrow if he could. Normally that kind of speed would sound insane… but with Wade, it didn’t. I knew almost immediately that there was something different about him. What started with nonstop laughs, late-night talks, and inside jokes grew into something more, we became each other’s favorite person. I joke that it makes sense because we are both Aquarius, with birthdays only three days apart. There has always been this unspoken understanding between us, like we just naturally get each other in a way neither of us had experienced before. Without hesitation we started building a life together, moving into “the church” (our house), and turning everyday moments into memories. And honestly, after surviving wallpapering together, I knew he definitely wasn’t going anywhere. Then came the proposal. We had gone to New York City during Christmas time, and I was convinced the proposal might happen under the lights of Rockefeller Center. When it didn’t, I figured it probably wasn’t happening last year after all. Which made Christmas Eve 2025 even more perfect. At home, in a moment that felt intimate and genuine, Wade asked me to marry him. Despite all the hints, all the conversations, and all the times he told me he would marry me tomorrow, it still felt like the most exciting surprise of my life.