As many modern love stories seem to begin, ours started on a dating app - Bumble. It was February of 2018 and I had been living in Grand Rapids for about 4-5 months by that point. I had started to get tired of the dating scene and felt like I was ready to take a break from it. At that same time, Zach was just starting to get back into it. Fortunately during this transition, we matched. I started the conversation with a 'would you rather' question and I soon came to learn as one of Zach's favorite ways to spark a conversation. I started right into the important information - Would you rather have seven puppies for one day or one puppy for seven days? (Tough question, I know.) We eventually met for our first date at The Mitten for a pizza flight. Similar to a beer flight, you choose six different pizzas to try. This was an unheard of concept for me that I was excited to experience. Apparently so was Zach, as I got a text about a half hour before we were supposed to meet saying that he was already there and had a table for us. I remember that I hadn't even THOUGHT about leaving yet, and thought something along the lines of "Yikes, what am I getting myself into?" Once I arrived and found him through a sea of people, there was nonstop smiles, laughter and conversation. The date continued on for hours afterward, and we were perfectly comfortable around each other as if we have known one another for years. This even led to us ordering two different beers mixed together which turned out terribly which only led into fits of uncontrollable laughter. In its own quirky way, it was the best way to end what ended up becoming the last first date I would ever have.

It was December 23rd 2019. My brother Kevin was in town for the holidays and he along with Zach and I were at my other brother and sister-in-law's house waiting for our parents to drive into town. My parents were typically very precise about their ETA when they travel to Grand Rapids and would given frequent updates on any traffic jams, accidents, etc that would slow them down. However, this time around they were being very vague and inconspicuous. Towards the end of the night before my parents had gotten in, Zach tells me that the keypad into his house had stopped working and his dad needed to get in to pick something up for the following day. He left to take care of this and arrived 10-15 minutes after my parents. That evening, my dad is trying to convince Kevin who was staying at my apartment for the week that he should get up early the next morning to go on a run with him. Kevin came up with every legitimate reason not to go (didn't bring workout clothes with him, doesn't have sneakers, simply didn't want to go). Yet somehow my dad had a solution to all of these and the next morning Kevin trudged out of the apartment as my dad came to pick him up for this run Soon after, Zach arrived at my apartment to pick me up for the day. We had already done our gift exchange together but he said he had one more gift for me. He had set up a scavenger hunt for me throughout my apartment talking about all we have been through and that he is thankful we are together. The scavenger hunt ended with him in my living room getting down on one knee and proposing. The moment was intimate and beautiful, and I don't think I have ever sobbed tears of joy as much as I did that day. I later found out that the night before when he had to leave to let his dad into his house, he actually met up with my parents to ask for their blessing. And when my dad was adament on going for a run with Kevin, it was to get Kevin out of my apartment so Zach and I could share this special moment together