Both Connor and Sophie attended the University of Minnesota Twin-Cities. For Sophie, it made sense; close to home but all on her own, *she’s an independent woman you know*. For Connor, maybe less so; a boy, who loves his family more than anything, from a small town in east Wisconsin (Near Sheboygan for those of you who love to hear the name “Shuh-boy-gahn”) it made a little less sense.

Sophie started coming around the Catholic Student community, Catholic Students United (CSU), most often in her junior year though she had come once in a while before then. Connor started coming around CSU in January after a powerful winter break with his brother (and best man), Noah Joseph, when he had a conversion back to his Catholic faith at a conference with FOCUS (a catholic mission organization).

Going all in “with this new faith thing,” Connor jumped into this newfound community. He started spending all of his free time around St. Lawrence, CSU’s church and event space. Soon after, the spring retreat was coming up in the first week of February.

At the time of the spring retreat Connor was a new guy coming around and most people had no idea who he was. He went to church once a month on Sunday’s before January and now he has been coming to the Church every day of the week: daily Mass, CSU events, studying at the church, you name it. To make it crazier, at the retreat, Connor, being an ambassador for a Yerba Mate (think Iced Tea), brought 120 Cans of caffeinated Mate to hand out. Never take candy from a stranger, but how about Yerba Mate? After handing them out he needed to take a picture of everyone with their cans. From never seen before today to up front with a microphone, Connor not only immediately caught Sophie’s attention, but also her heart (Don’t fact-check this with Sophie). During this retreat, Connor and Sophie had not talked, but Connor did invite Cecilia Kulhanek (Best friend and bridesmaid) to sit at his table during dinner (I wish I could say I was playing the long game by winning over Sophie’s closest friends but I must admit it never crossed my mind).
Moving on from retreat, Connor and Sophie still had not talked and it was her senior year of college! COVID also did not help by sending them home by March. When Connor was home during COVID he began his first season of intentional singleness (until school starts in September) as he tried to grow closer to God by using his time being single as a way to offer the Lord his life in a deeper way. At the same time Sophie graduated and took off on an adventure south, getting placed at Florida State University in Tallahassee, FL for her mission work with Saint Paul’s Outreach (SPO) - the same mission organization at CSU. She couldn’t get away that easily though because Connor ended up joining her at SPO Mission Training down in Tallahassee as a student missionary intern! The drama continues…. At Mission Training they interacted seldom but Sophie definitely caught Connor’s eye, especially after he made a sarcastic comment and she said that “sarcasm is my love language,” (we have since found better love languages).
Sent back to UMN, exiled from his true love, Connor began his senior year of college in SPO household living with 12 other men and recommitted to his season of singleness (this time until he graduates). Sophie was beginning her first year as a full-time missionary. This was the year Connor met Hannah Bursey (Sister and Maid of Honor) in CSU and they studied in a group together at the Biomedical Sciences Library during the heightened COVID restrictions. During this year, Connor ended up turning down admittance to Physical Therapy programs at Mayo Clinic and UW Lacrosse to join SPO as a full-time missionary and would have to wait until June to find out where he was being sent.

Near the end of his senior year, Connor began discerning with the Religious Brothers he encountered at CSU, the Brotherhood of Hope. This entailed continuing his living single for God for the duration he was with the Brothers. At Mission Training, Connor was told he was being sent to FSU and immediately remembered that Sophie was on that team (so much for trying to stay single with an amazing woman like Sophie on your team! God must have been laughing). He also was sent down with his close friend Ivan Yorobe (groomsman) who he met at training the previous year when they were both students (we were screaming loud when we found out). Throughout this first year in mission together Connor and Sophie recognized their attraction to each other but never let it be known to the other that they were interested because Connor was discerning a call to be a Brother (think single-monk-dude that works at the Church and CSU) and Sophie wanted to respect his discernment. However, the first spark that Sophie and Connor admit now was when Connor drove Sophie from Orlando to Tallahassee after Thanksgiving break. The 4-hour drive felt like an hour and Connor knew immediately that he was head over heels for her. The rest of this year was filled with amazing experiences, friendships and growing in our Faith alongside each other.
Going into their third summer together, Connor committed to yet another year of intentional singleness. I know what you’re thinking “Connor another year?!” and all I have to say is “yep haha.” That same summer Connor received clarity that he was called to marriage.
Throughout the year, Connor stayed faithful to his commitment to be single-hearted for mission and as the year was coming to an end found his attraction to Sophie growing and growing that he was no longer able to put it aside. He called his brother, Noah, and asked his opinion. Thank God for Noah because he said, “you should ask her out if you’re going to regret not asking her and never knowing her answer.” So begins the most nerve-wracking thing Connor has ever done, he was going to ask Sophie out!!!

Connor was nervous before it even began, not knowing how he was going to get her alone or ask her the question. He decided to ask her if they could talk about something with work during Carson Powell’s (Then-roommate and groomsman) concert. Feeling nervous and not wanting to pull her away from her conversations Connor did not get time with her during the concert (I know! Drama!). To get himself another chance, Connor convinced all the people to go to Culvers to celebrate. Lucky for Connor, Sophie asked if he still wanted to talk about work and if he could drive her to Culvers. In the 10 minute drive over (and 10 minutes talking in the car in the Culvers parking lot) Connor seemed to ask any question except the one he wanted to. Once Sophie would leave a space perfect to ask her on a date he would ask something like, “what are you excited for in Tampa?” Then Sophie suggested they went into Culvers and, sitting at different tables, Connor regretted his mistake. Throughout the whole dinner Connor schemed a way to get one last chance - He texted her across Culvers asking if he could drive her to her car because he had ‘one last question.’ Once they got back to her car, Connor asked the question and the whole time thought Sophie was letting him down easy, but SHE SAID YES!

Since their first date, Connor and Sophie have lived in the same city for one month and have been long distance since then, Sophie serving as a missionary in Tampa and Connor as an MBA student in Madison. Last October Sophie visited Connor in Madison and had no idea her time would end with a diamond ring. Proposing at sunrise the morning after she got into town, our friend was hiding with a camera and our families came to celebrate the next day.