In the fall of 2020, Emily and Mike met during their internal medicine training at at Swedish Hospital in Chicago, IL. Mike was a 2nd year and Emily was a 1st year. After mingling at a work party, they thought that maybe it was worth spending more time together. On a whim, Mike asked Emily out on a date to Starved Rock State Park and, only after she said yes, did he realize the round trip would be over 5 hours in a car together! Thankfully they had a great time and their dates continued. As each month passed, they began to realize how easily their emerging idiosyncrasies fit together.

In the summer of 2023, they planned a trip to Japan and to celebrate the completion of Emily’s residency and their reunion. They had spent the preceding year working separately as Mike started his new job as an attending physician in the Madison area and Emily had one more year of residency left to go in Chicago.

Japan was a dream. Though the big city of Tokyo was sweltering in the summer, they found solace in a lake town on the edge of Mount Fuji, where the forest and lake brought a cooling comfort to their adventure. It was under the torii of Hakone Shrine on Lake Ashi that Mike got down on one knee and asked Emily to marry him. She said “Yes!”.