Brandon and Claire met the old fashioned way....by swiping right. The two quickly bonded over their enjoyment of travel, sports, Potbelly, and of course, the Great British Baking Show.

After talking online for some time, the day came to finally meet in person. A beautiful walk around the park sounded like a great idea at the time, until it ended up being the hottest day of 2020, clocking in at 92 degrees with 65% humidity (lucky for them, they both wore black and took a wrong turn which resulted in a 3 mile detour). After stopping at a local restaurant to hydrate (bless the waitress that took pity on us and kept bringing pitchers of water) a second date was set up for the following week.

As the next week rolled around, the couple thought it would be fun to test their basketball skills- despite Brandon having an 8 inch height advantage. The weather was no kinder this day with intense rain and a tornado warning in the area. As the storm raged around them, the two enjoyed each other's company over a pint of dairy-free Ben and Jerrys in the back of Claire's Crosstrek .

The couple spent the next few months enjoying local hiking destinations, eateries, working, and studying as Claire enrolled in graduate school.

Date nights at ski festivals, events in surrounding towns, road trips to Duluth, Bemidji, Hayward, Grand Marais, and family events kept the couple busy , in addition to coaching soccer, basketball, and cross country skiing for local high schools.

On August 19th, 2022 the couple set out for a weekend getaway to Marquette MI. Stopping to view roadside attractions along the way (who knew the halfway point between the equator and the north pole could be found in Cadott, WI?!), they arrived for a weekend of hiking, antiquing, coffee shop hopping, lighthouse touring, and car show viewing. On the last night of the trip they made plans to drive to the top of Mt. Marquette to watch the sunset over the city. As they watched Brandon remarked his shoe was untied.......it was in fact, not untied (very smooth). Getting down on one knee he popped the question and, after Claire asked if he was sure (again, so smooth you two), she joyously said yes.

Things to Do

Dave's Town Club

Delano, MN