Theo and I met on the dating app, Hinge, sometime around early August of 2023. After talking for a couple of weeks, we finally got to meet one another, on August 27th.

We would have met a couple of days earlier than this, but, of course, I came down with a bad head cold the night before our first date. At first, Theo was skeptical of me being sick, thinking I might be trying to cancel and let him down easy, however, I urged him to call me, and when he did, he could hear it in my voice how sick I really was, so we postponed our date until I felt better. Thankfully, we only had to wait for a few days!

We had a picnic at Pamperin Park in Green Bay, and we talked for hours! It was so magical! It was like time was stopping and going all at the same time. After a few more dates and amazing conversations, we officially started dating on October 7, 2023.

Ever since then, we have had some wonderful adventures together! We took a fun camping trip with some friends, we went to Milwaukee and visited an amazing art museum, we got to take part in our friends' wedding, and so much more! We have had so many laughs together, some tears, and so many happy moments!

On February 28, 2025, Theo had the biggest surprise for me yet! We were planning on going to the U.P. (upper peninsula of Michigan) that weekend to visit friends and my family. We planned to have a double date with friends that Friday night, so we needed to get to the U.P. (two hours away) in time for our date. My friend was keeping tabs on us and was wondering when we left for the U.P. and when we would get to their house, to meet up with them. Now, I knew Theo had his "Google Maps" on but I didn't think much of this because it would have been dark by the time we got to our friend's house, and sometimes it's hard to see the turn off to their house. We had just left Sturgeon Bay, and I was trying to give my friend an ETA. When I looked at Google Maps on Theo's phone, it said our destination was 30 minutes away. This didn't make sense, because we were nowhere near their house! When I questioned Theo, he said, "I need to know where Green Bay is." I thought that was a strange thing to say because we had taken this route multiple times, and I knew he knew where Green Bay was. When I asked what he meant by that, he said, "I need to know where a gas station is in Green Bay, because we need gas." I was just about to ask, "Well, why didn't you say that in the first place?" when he stopped me, knowing I was going to question him again, and he asked me if I trusted him. Of course I did, so I said yes, and he told me to trust him on this. Still confused, I texted my friend a rough ETA.

When we stopped to get gas, Theo stated that we were, ironically, two minutes away from Pamperin Park, where we first met! He then suggested that we make a quick stop to visit. I started to reason with him, and told him that we were on a time crunch but he insisted, so I reluctantly agreed that we could go visit for a couple of minutes.

When we got to he park, Theo pulled out his GoPro with its stand. He explained that he wanted to take a picture of the place and see what changed since the last time we were there. I didn't think anything of it, because Theo loves taking pictures. So, he set up the camera in the picnic area where we had our first date and took a picture. Once we got the picture, I saw Theo put the camera to video, and then he pulled up his Notes app on his phone. In that moment, I knew what was about to happen!

While he was reading his amazing, thoughtful, and sweet speech to me, I was in shock and had my hands over my mouth. Then, he went down on one knee and asked, "Annalise Lorena Poupore, will you marry me?" I couldn't form any words in my mouth for 30 seconds, but it felt like 30 years went by. Finally, I said yes, and then I panicked with the next step because I didn't know which hand to give him to put the ring on! I asked him, "which hand?", and then he said the wrong hand, and then quickly corrected himself. Fortunately, it wasn't long before we got the ring on the correct hand!

After this incredible "full circle" moment at Pamperin Park, we continued our journey to the U.P. with wonderful news to share with my friends and family! A special moment from this weekend included visiting the nursing home to tell my 87 year old Grandma the good news. The smile on her face as I showed her my engagement ring will forever be a treasured memory!

Now, we are thrilled to share our love and our joy with all of you! We are so grateful for the incredible support of our family and friends!

A&T