The year was 2012. Catherine's favorite weekend of the year: Country Thunder (also her birthday). Four long days and nights of drinks, concerts, dancing, and camping with friends. One late evening after a few too many "Pepsis", Nick lost his friends. He stumbled upon Catherine and her friends and sparks flew. To the surprise of no one, Catherine had found the love of her life at Country Thunder.

Life took the lovebirds separate ways, Nick moved to Whitewater for undergrad, and Catherine moved to Madison for undergrad and New York for Dental School. While home on a summer break in 2019, Nick took Catherine on their "first" date to see the new live-action Lion King. After bonding over their mutual love of Disney, Harry Potter, traveling, overpriced steak dinners, Wisconsin Sports, and Brandy Old Fashions Sour with Olives, the rest was history.

It was April, and Nick and Catherine went on a tropical, romantic, week long vacation in St. Thomas....where Nick did not propose. Even though St. Thomas would have been the perfect place to pop the question...Nick procrastinated and didn't get the ring in time. Plan B was proposing the week we got back on Easter day by hiding it in Catherine's Easter basket, but as luck would have it, it was still not ready. Finally, Nick got the call and the ring was ready. After telling Catherine an excuse, he was able to sneak away and pick up the ring. Nick had the ring for a whole 2 hours before asking Catherine to marry him in the middle of their kitchen. As he puts it, he was too excited and couldn't wait any longer.