Jake and Mikaela met for the first time at Monkey Park in Opelika AL, to accompany a small group from church in riding the local Christmas train (The Rocky Brook Rocket Express). Jake asked Mikaela if she liked Lord of the Rings, and they became friends immediately. Jake said that after their discussion, Jake he wasn't sure who he would marry, but he knew exactly how he would propose when the time came - at the precipice of the volcano of Mount Ngauruhoe in New Zealand (the setting for Mount Doom in the Lord of the Rings film).

Unfortunately, Mikaela was living and working as an accountant in Birmingham, AL, and therefore needed to be away from the small group. However, in June of 2023, Mikaela moved back to Auburn to finish her Accounting degree. Around the same time, Jake asked the small group via GroupMe if anyone would be interested in meeting up at a local farmers market, and Mikaela was the only one available to do so that day. He impressed her with his table making skills and she enamored him with her taste in rock music. Their friendship blossomed from there.

Both Jake and Mikaela would spend the summer attending a church game-night small group, and some of the members of the group noticed that there may be some chemistry between them. Jake approached Mikaela about this - but Mikaela said they should probably only be friends as she was about to start a new life in Birmingham.

After a few months passed, Mikaela was charmed by Jake's dad jokes and grilling skills, and eventually asked Jake out on a date. Their first date was in Opelika, where they ate barbeque and visited a pinball arcade.

After a year in the relationship (and after many discussions with Mikaela about getting married), Jake began thinking about what the engagement ring would be like. Using 3D software, he designed a ring and gave the designs to a jeweler to have it made. He knew it needed to be inspired by a combination of Christ and Mikaela's personality. Therefore, in the design he added leaves from Mikaela's favorite plant, the Prayer Plant. The ring was made, and Jake planned a trip to New Zealand with Mikaela, complete with photographer and a tour of the different film locations. Unfortunately, scaling Mount Ngauruhoe was not possible, but there was a better location: Hobbiton.

They returned from their "unexpected" journey engaged and ready for the start of their long-awaited adventure.