Just kidding there was no electrician, but there were sparks...

Looking back it is clear we were always meant to be together, but in the beginning it was fun just getting to know each other. It was even more fun falling in love with each other.

Our first date was at a small, cute Italian restaurant in Bloomington, MN, where Matt lived in 2019. Katie was 6 months into nursing school and Matt was a year into his dream job as an aerospace engineer. As a college student (again), Katie immediately felt Matt was way out of her league, but boy was she going to date him for as long as he would let her. However, it didn't take long for both of them to feel like they struck gold.

The relationship started as most do -- with joy, fun, and a little bit of mystery. Matt was eager to show Katie his house on a lake and his corvette, Katie was eager to share her dreams of becoming an ICU nurse and eventually a nurse practitioner. Everything fell into place like a dream. As a young couple they helped Katie check off bucket list items, experience the Duluth air show, even took a last minute trip to Vegas where nothing but a change of clothes and a phone charger was packed. They were both thriving as a new couple, and maybe even slipped the L word.

Then COVID hit. Matt's job situation changed dramatically, and with most hospitals on a hiring freeze Katie had a hard time finding a job as a brand new nurse. Not to mention we were trapped at home, cancelled our trip to Paris, and oh yeah, we might all die. In case that wasn't hard enough, Katie's mom, the person she loved the most in this world, had found out her cancer had returned. All of a sudden life looked a lot different.

We weren't taking last minute vacations, going on dates twice a week, or thriving professionally, but it was during this challenging chapter that our love grew harder and deeper than ever before. We moved in together and leaned on each other during our dark days. Matt stayed at Katie's side while her mom took her last breath, and stayed even closer during her grief. Katie supported Matt through the ups and downs of his career, from aerospace engineer, to unexpected upholstery technician, to licensed Professional Engineer that was earned by many months of study. We became vulnerable, real, and deep, and so did our love.

Matt said it perfectly at his proposal. "We have been through a lot of hard things, but the one thing that hasn't been hard is us." Despite the rough times, we bought our dream house, got a dog and 2 cats, and are both thriving professionally. We have been to Paris, seven US states and counting (California 3 times!), zip lining, jet skiing, kayaking, go karting, ATV riding, multiple TR3 road trips, and many, many, intentional date nights to name a few. We have both found our priorities in each other and building a life we are proud to live. We've experience significant losses during our relationship, not only Katies' mom, but other dear family including Mackenzie Buckentine, Mary Tellers, and Jerry Huntting. We have learned to love and live fiercely and whole heartedly through these losses.

We are so excited to take this next "official" step and be husband and wife. Please join us as we celebrate our love, our future, and our families.

Side note: You can thank Matt for the cheesy electrician joke at the beginning of our story. It was only fitting given the first thing he said to Katie was "Did you know the adult black bear has 42 teeth? And can weight up to 400 lbs? Which, coincidentally is just enough to break the ice! I'm Matt, how's it going?" Of course this made Katie keep the conversation going. Smooth, Montana boy.

Registry