CHAPTER 1 - ONCE UPON A TIME

Once upon a time, there was a Brian. He lived in a moderately sized village called Palatine. Brian worked very hard in school and grew up to become a great engineer.

Meanwhile, in a land far, far away called Orland Park, there lived a Kate. She loved to make-believe and put on performances. Kate studied dance and grew up to become a renowned choreographer.

Brian and Kate were living their dreams and enjoying life to its fullest, but they both knew something was missing… and so did their parents.

CHAPTER 2 - APP-SOLUTE DESTINY: SWIPED HER OFF HER FEET

Before their lives intertwined, Brian and Kate met all sorts of people.

Whenever Brian would start seeing a girl, his mom would cross her fingers and say, “maybe this is the one!” But time after time, Brian would say, “this one’s too bossy”… “this one’s too crazy"…

Kate went on plenty of dates too! She would brush her beautiful hair and hope that she would meet her prince charming. But, after each date, she would call her best friends and tell them, “this one’s too needy” … “this one’s too cheap” …

But one day, a fairy bumble bee named Buzz crossed paths with Brian and Kate. Buzz had magical powers and amazing algorithm techniques. With one fell swipe, Brian and Kate set up their first date.

CHAPTER 3 - THE PERFECT PORRIDGE

Brian and Kate met at 34 East Pub, an established (now closed due to Covid) local watering hole in the historic Riverside community. Contrary to his character, Brian was yippin’ up a storm in nervous excitement.

Kate thought to herself, “what is this guy yippin’ about? But man… those perfect blue eyes. I think I like him.” Then, he didn’t ask to split the bill and she knew she liked him. The perfect first date night came to a perfect conclusion with a chivalrous kiss on the cheek.

The next day, Kate told her friends about her magical evening while they played roulette at Rivers Casino. She proclaimed, “I think this one’s juuuuust right.”

Her friends were supportive, but knew that Buzz had led Kate astray in the past and couldn’t help but be a little cautious. Right as they were attempting to manage Kate’s expectations, her phone dinged!

Alas! It was a text from Brian! Even though he had planned to spend his Sunday morning watching football, his fantasy matchup couldn’t hold his attention. He instead looked up Kate’s dance videos and felt the need to text her his praises.

With that, Kate’s friends knew that Brian was something special.

CHAPTER 4 - A DART IN THE WIND

Brian called Kate and asked her to get some sushi at his favorite restaurant (the place has since closed due to Covid). Kate was so excited. The evening was going great!

Brian wanted to keep the romance flowing so he suggested they go meet his good drinkin’ buddies over at a dart tournament. Kate loved that idea! Or, at least that’s what she told Brian.

The date went great, and it ended with another gentlemanly smooch on the cheek. Brian was two for two.

CHAPTER 5 - A GAY, OLD TIME

Things were going well so a third date was in order. This time, the ball was in Kate’s court. She decided to invite Brian on a group date in boystown with a few of her friends. They had a FAB-U-LOUS time! Brian was a bit out of his element, but he couldn’t keep those perfect blue eyes off of Kate all night.

CHAPTER 6 - MERRY CHRISSY-MAS

It was Christmastime and Brian and Kate had been dating for a solid three weeks. Kate was planning her annual Classy Christmas extravaganza with her closest friends. Kate was nervous, but she worked up the courage to invite Brian. To Kate’s excitement, he accepted!

Riding on the adrenaline of Brian’s acceptance, Kate thought, “let’s roll the dice and get Chris Jablonski involved.” Kate didn’t mention to Brian that her mother would be at the party until Brian arrived. The gauntlet had been laid out, but Brian met the challenge.

All it took was Kate’s mom describing her fishing trip honeymoon, and Brian was hooked… get it? Hooked? Love that Chris Jablonski.

CHAPTER 7 - A HART-FELT ROAD TRIP

Brian and Kate continued dating for a while and everything was going great! They were ready for their first weekend getaway and they decided on Traverse City, Michigan. They looked forward to a weekend of vineyards and top restaurants in the region.

Oops! Serendipitously, Kate sent the wrong link to Brian and, very un-Brian-like, he booked it without reviewing. The reservation was made for the Hart House Bed and Breakfast in Hart, Michigan, a mere three hours south of Traverse City.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with Hart, Michigan (all of you), Hart occupies 2.07 square miles of the southern end of Oceana County with a population of 2,126 as of the 2010 census. Some local points of interest include the County Dairy Farm and the local laundromat. It was at The Hart House Bed and Breakfast (since closed due to Covid) where Brian and Kate realized they were “udderly” in love (they went to the Dairy Farm).

CHAPTER 8 - RENTS RENDEZVOUS

Things were getting pretty serious. It was time for the parents to finally meet. Brian and Kate thought it best to meet on neutral territory to maximize the amount of driving for all parties involved. Everyone dressed in their Sunday’s best and met at the Chew Chew Restaurant (…surprisingly still around, even through Covid) in Riverside.

The night was just about perfect. The wine was delightful, the dinner delicious, and the night ended with a bang!

CHAPTER 9 - HAIL NO

Brian and Kate headed to Grand Lake, CO for a getaway in the mountains with Kate’s sister’s family. Highlights from the week included beer-in-hand putt putt, boozy milkshakes, Audrey’s trout on crackers, and paddle board yoga.

Brian hit it off with Kate’s brother-in-law fly fishing, even though they didn’t catch anything. In fact, they were so engrossed, they continued fishing even as a hail storm approached. Kate, her sister, and her terrified, screaming nieces were left to fend for themselves as they sprinted back to the cabin to seek shelter.

We also saw a moose, so pretty good trip.

CHAPTER 10 - JE PARLE UN PEU DE FRANCAIS

The two love birds had the travel bug, so they decided another trip was in order. Brian suggested a rustic cabin in Northern Wisconsin, but Kate had her eye on the city of lights. Brian folded like a lawn chair, and it was off to Paris!

They enjoyed a trip of a lifetime and saw everything from the Eiffel Tower to the Louvre. Brian impressed Kate with his marginally adequate grasp of the French language and they even made friends with some of the locals.

Hey, why do French people eat such light breakfasts?

Because when you’re in France, one egg is un oeuf.

CHAPTER 11 - RONA TIMES: THE DARK AGES

Thank goodness Kate and Brian took that epic trip to Europe. Little did they know, a global pandemic was on the horizon and they would need to hunker down for a bit.

After deciding to quarantine together, Kate and Brian grabbed their bare essentials to best prepare. Kate packed her bags complete with her yoga mat, electric piano, and adult coloring books. Brian grabbed six bottles of scotch and the only four pack, one-ply, garbage toilet paper that was left on the shelf.

Once a week Brian would transform his living room into Studio 4 where Kate would livestream her dance classes. In a lot of ways, these difficult times brought Kate and Brian even closer together.

CHAPTER 12 -THE TWELFTH CHAPTER

Brian knew that he loved his Kate and wanted to ask her to marry him. But first, he needed to get a ring.

He rallied the troops and started the ultimate engagement group chat thread. Brian was now blessed with he input of his three sisters, future sister-in-law, mother, and future mother-in-law. The opinions were coming in hot, and it didn’t take long for him to realize he would have to mute the well-varied opinions and go with his gut.

With the help of Stan, the man, Brian chose THE most beautiful ring that has ever existed in the entire universe. All that was left to plan was the proposal.

The trickster that he is, Brian decided to propose on his birthday so Kate wouldn’t suspect any shenanigans. His plan worked! Kate was busy planning the perfect birthday evening for Brian while he was laying out his perfect proposal.

After a picturesque dinner at Smithe and Wollensky, Kate and Brian went for a fairy-tale worthy stroll along the River Walk. When the moment was right, Brian got down on one knee and proposed and…yadda yadda yadda… and she said yes.

Let’s party!

The End.