Our story really started back in 2018, when Max had just moved to California for college and we met for the first time. We stayed in touch on and off for a couple years, and then in January 2020, everything fell into place.

It all kicked off thanks to one very muddy night. My maid of honor, Emily, and I were doing what we always loved—driving down an old back road in my Jeep, the one we used to take out almost every night to go mudding or rescue anyone who got themselves stuck. There was nothing more fun than being two girls in a cute little Jeep pulling out all the “tough” outdoorsy guys.

And sure enough, that night we found Max and a few of his buddies completely stuck in the mud with a borrowed Suburban… one they definitely weren’t supposed to take mudding. To this day, I’m pretty sure they let it get stuck on purpose just so we’d rescue them.

After that night, things took off fast. A couple months later, COVID hit and Max had to head back home to Alaska while I stayed in California. Long distance wasn’t easy, but we made it work, and honestly, it made our relationship even stronger.

When graduation got closer, I decided to take the leap and move to Alaska! Now, after more than three years of living together up north, we’ve built an amazing little life with our two pets—Spud the dog and Bean the cat.

We’re so excited to get married and see where life takes us next!

Anna