As many of us in the age of technology, Michaela and Mike met through a dating app -- Bumble to be exact! Both parties had spent countless hours of swiping left or right and making awkward small talk with potential suitors; however, they had only gone on one date total between the two of them. Then, on one chilly December evening, after weeks off of the app, Michaela decided to log back on while wrapping Christmas presents, when suddenly, Mike appeared. She was intrigued by his cheeky smile and zest for adventure as captured in his photos. While Mike needed to know the answer to her two truths and a lie prompt (Do you know the answer? She played lacrosse in college, she has hiked Half Dome, or she is afraid of clowns?) The conversations was flowing and quickly cell phone numbers were exchanged where texts continued until the late hours of the night. They wish they could say the rest is history, but it was not exactly easy for these two to meet in person. Three different first dates were planned and eventually postponed -- blame it on the rain, or rather, Christmas plans, COVID-19 infections, and maybe a touch of social anxiety. About a month after these two met through their technology, Mike and Michaela finally met for a brunch date during the work week at Hope Breakfast Bar in Saint Paul, MN. Mike arrived early (as Mike would say, "if you're not early, you're late"), and Michaela arrived late (as Michaela would say, "well of course, I needed him to sweat it out a bit"). Mike was feeling a bit nervous, but as soon as Michaela rushed in, she grabbed and squeezed his arm, and instantly Mike felt at ease and comfortable. The conversation in person came as easy as they had via text as the two of them bonded over the unfortunate love of all Minnesota sports and Mike instantly fell in love when Michaela revealed she was a "Lady Rube" of the Power Trip Morning Show on KFAN. As the date went on, Mike realized his lunch break had run far over time and he needed to get back to work. The end of the date ended in a kiss outside the restaurant (not Michaela's usual style!). If you were to ask them now, both of them would tell you they knew that day that they had just met the person they were going to marry.

When you have been together as long as Mike and Michaela, you'd think that pulling off a surprise proposal would be impossible; however, Mike was able to accomplish just that. Mike had known for months, well, years actually, that he was going to marry Michaela. So, in November of 2024, traffic "suddenly became a lot worse" on the way home from school in Hopkins. In reality, he was shopping for and purchasing the engagement ring. When it came down to timing, Mike was eyeing a quick trip to San Diego during Spring Break as the opportune time to get down on one knee. As February hit, Mike's plans suddenly had to quickly pivot as a new family member came into the picture: Cliff! As to not leave a 4-month old puppy in the hands of either of their parents, Mike decided to reschedule a trip in which their new son could be apart of. He booked a dog-friendly cabin and apartment in Two Harbors, MN and Grand Marais, MN for a quick getaway. Realistically, this kind of a trip was more "Mike and Michaela," anyway. Weeks before, he asked Michaela's parents and brother for her hand, and luckily, they all said "yes!" Everyone knew the plans of this new trip except Michaela until just a few days before, and Mike had just told her that the cabin resort only had enough rooms for one night while in realty, it was three. Thankfully, she still thought it would be fun to go! The drive up north was interrupted by a typical "Minnesota Spring Snowstorm," in which approximately ten inches of snow was dumped on the North Shore. Mike did not let this deter him; though, the nerves were setting in. The next day, Mike wanted to get "up and at 'em" bright and early for a hike at Gooseberry Falls. Michaela did not understand the rush as they were "on vacation." She finally got out of bed and dressed for a snowy hike in the Falls. Before leaving, Mike offered her a hat to wear, to use as a reason to go into his bag and grab the ring; however, he did not realize she already had a hat on her head. Of course, Michaela asked questions, but somehow, Mike was stealthy enough to throw her off his scent. When they arrived at Gooseberry with Cliff, they quickly realized the snow was almost as tall as their new puppy, and the trails were not plowed. Nonetheless, they forged on. Mike had found an ideal spot to get down on one knee at the Lower Falls. He was setting up his camera to record the event for Michaela's mom, and told Michaela it was so they could screenshot the video for a photo. When suddenly, they were interrupted by another family. Flustered, Mike collected his phone and his dog, and decided to try a new spot, and Michaela followed. On a bridge further down the trail over the Gooseberry River, Mike again thought that this was the perfect spot. He secured Cliff to the bridge (20 feet away from his set up), and took a few selfies with Michaela. He swiftly went into his breast pocket to take out his ring and started to kneel, but Michaela didn't notice, and started to run after Cliff who was crying for his parents. As she walked towards Cliff, Mike asked her if she thought Cliff would be happy if Mike were his Dad forever. Michaela thought, "Well, I thought that was kind of the deal when we adopted him," and as she turned around, Mike was on one knee and asked her to marry him. It was at that point that Michaela short circuited. Her mouth dropped agape and she could not compute words, including the word, "yes." After what felt to Mike like eternity, Michaela finally came back to reality and, of course, said YES! You might be asking yourself, how did Michaela not see this coming? Especially when they had talked about getting married and talked about rings. Well, Mike's transmission had gone out one week prior to the proposal. The first thought Michaela had when Mike told her was "Well, I guess we aren't getting married anytime soon." Boy, was she wrong!