Connor and I actually knew about each other back in high school, though it was through mutual friends. I remember receiving a friend request from him on one of my social media apps, but we never really connected beyond that, and nothing came of it.

Interestingly, we have been Snapchat friends since October 27th, 2018. Fast forward almost exactly three years, and we started dating on November 27th, 2022.

We reconnected while we were both in college. I saw a post on his story with a location tag for Alexandria, MN, which surprised me because my college friends and I would often drive to Alexandria for shopping, groceries, dining, and entertainment. I reached out to him about it, and we ended up talking for hours over FaceTime. We bonded over our work as first responders and shared experiences about moving from a larger town, like Prior Lake, to a smaller, more rural college town in Minnesota.

Our first in-person meeting happened when I was driving back to college. Connor had a training session in St. Cloud, so I picked him up at his hotel to grab coffee together. I’ll never forget how shy and nervous he was—it was the only time I’ve ever seen him like that. I even remember him saying, “Wow, this is crazy, you’re actually a real person!” since we’d only ever spoken over the phone.

On November 27th, 2022, Connor came over to my parents’ house where he met my family for the very first time. While I was driving him home that night, Connor asked me to be his girlfriend, and I said yes—and the rest, as they say, is history.

I first knew of Abby in high school, but with so many students, we never really spoke. One of my friends from the hockey team was close with her, and I often saw them together on his social media. I eventually added her online, but we didn’t really communicate much.

Years later, while I was in school in Alexandria, I randomly received a message from Abby. She asked if I was attending school there, as her college wasn’t far, and she often went to Alexandria for groceries. It was an odd but pleasant surprise, and we ended up talking on the phone for hours that night while I was at a friend’s house. Over the next few months, we kept in touch, discussing the idea of meeting up, but for various reasons, it never happened.

When I started school in Mankato, we reconnected online. Not long after, I was in St. Cloud for a three-day work training, and it just so happened that Abby would be passing through during one of those days. We met for coffee, and I was amazed that after months of talking on the phone, I was finally meeting her in person.

Shortly after that, Abby came down to Mankato to celebrate Halloween with friends. I had to work, but I managed to take her out for a meal in downtown Mankato. We continued to talk regularly, both on the phone and in person. One day, Abby invited me to hang out with her, her parents, and their friends. I was at my best man Jonah’s house at the time and couldn’t drive, so I had to ask my sister Ava to pick me up and take me over. When I met Abbys parents for the first time, I wasn’t exactly dressed to impress — I was wearing a cutoff shirt, a backward hat, and had clear wrap around my arm from a recent tattoo. Despite my less-than-ideal appearance, I had a great time with everyone. Afterward, Abby drove me back to my parents house, and that’s when I asked her to be my girlfriend. I remember going home that night and waking my mom up to tell her about my new relationship.

We continued dating long-distance, with Abby in Morris and then Prior Lake, and me in Mankato. Early on, I knew Abby was the person I wanted to spend my life with. On April 10th, 2024, I proposed to her.