We both met for the first time on May 18, 2014 at the St. Peter’s Parish Picnic. Kara went to the picnic with a high school friend, who had gone to grade school with Ethan. Nothing came from this original meet-up other than the super cute photo above. We surely didn’t know what was in store a few years later!

On November 5, 2016, Ethan decided to travel to Columbia, MO with his friend to watch IWA cheer state. At the time, Ethan’s friend was dating our mutual friend. After watching the ladies compete, Ethan was mesmerized by Kara’s back flipping skills. He got her contact info from our friend, and he asked if Kara would hang out with him and teach him how to do a backflip. **Spoiler alert - Ethan still does not know how to do a back flip**

After 7 years of dating, on February 17, 2023, Ethan told Kara he wanted to celebrate Valentine’s Day together with a nice walk in the Central West End followed by dinner reservations. Much to Ethan’s dismay, St. Louis had a pop-up blizzard the night before. After working so persistently to convince Kara to still walk to dinner in her heels, Ethan asked Kara to marry him at Taylor Park. Ethan planned a surprise party with our family and friends at a nearby wine bar, and we celebrated the night away.