The summer after Deb’s sophomore year of college, she met Ryan at Summerfest. Deb’s roommate, Danielle, had known Ryan since grade school. In fact, Danielle is one of Ryan’s oldest friends — their brothers played sports together growing up. Danielle’s high school sweetheart (now husband), Christian, was not only Ryan’s classmate in high school but also his teammate in both baseball and basketball.

After their brief meeting at Summerfest, Deb and Ryan didn’t reconnect until New Year’s Eve in 2018. Christian, who went to Concordia with Deb and Danielle, hosted a New Year’s Eve party where Deb and Ryan hit it off.

At the time, Ryan was attending the University of Wisconsin–La Crosse but made trips back home once a month to see Deb. After five months of getting to know each other, they officially started dating on June 1, 2019.

Fast forward five years — on September 28, 2024, Ryan asked Deb to marry him.