From the first time I laid eyes on Haley, I knew it was no ordinary first date. She had green eyes that resembled the fairways in Scotland. Her laugh was amazing, and she was the perfect mix of being laid back and also intriguing. I have always been a little bit of downtown and a little bit of honkytonk. So when we wrapped up our dinner at Butcher & The Boar in the North Loop, and we both told each other we weren't ready for the night to end, there was only one place a Minneapolis kid could take his dream girl...the 1029 bar! A couple of beers (on my part) later and $700 up on pulltabs, it was time to say goodnight to an amazing date.

I knew I might not see her again, as she was leaving for Europe for 2 weeks, and I was busy running around to Denver, Indy and Florida for football games at this time. But somehow, we stayed in touch. The connection was magnetic. She was a mirror image of myself, and we drew closer and closer even though we were thousands of miles apart those first few weeks.

When we reunited, the spark of that first night continued to grow as we took our first getaway to Duluth before the holidays to see the Bentleyville lights on Lake Superior. Brunch at Tobies, an Airbnb on the waterfront, a funny casino trip (Haley accidentally sat us down at a $40/spin slot machine) and a lot of laughs made for a great first getaway.

As we began the new year in this new relationship, I started turning my bachelor pad downtown into a place we both could call our own. I surprised Haley with a drawer in the bathroom, and bought a dresser for her clothes. Things were getting serious.

We took our first golf trip to Savannah, GA & Hilton Head, SC to play Harbour Town (In which I got smoked). Haley saw firsthand my love for the south. From the historic Gastonian Inn under the Spanish moss in Savannah, to the beach front hotel on the island in Hilton Head, and the great down home cooking, the trip was near perfect. On our last round of the trip, I choked away the lead at Atlantic Dunes Golf Course, and Haley's eyes lit up as we walked into her favorite store, Lululemon, in Charlotte as I paid up on my bet before our flight home.

Our first summer was filled with downtown nights, walks with Lulu (our puppy), weekends at the cabin, concert after concert, trying out new restaurants and lots of golf, our love grew to new heights. We started to talk about a future together. Our first big test was right around the corner...football season with Thomas.

Vikings tailgates, our first Iowa vs Minnesota football game, and a trip to Nashville for a Vikings game highlighted our first season together.

As our lives continued to weave together heading into 2025, I began to envision the rest of my life with Haley. I began plotting with her sister-in-law Stephanie about asking the woman of my dreams to spend the rest of her life with me. We deceived the perfect plan to surprise detective Haley. It happened to be a blistering cold day in Minneapolis, as I stood outside of Aster Cafe in St. Anthony Main. My toes began to freeze as Haley and Steph circled the block 4 times looking for a parking spot. I had roses scattered across the cobblestone, nervous if she was going to be surprised or not. It came together perfectly as they walked towards the Cafe sidewalk. I said, "Hello beautiful" as Haley's eyes twinkled, I've never seen her smile so big as she responded, "I KNEW IT!". It was a picture-perfect moment in our lives, and I can't wait to see where this journey leads us.