The first time Levi and I “officially met” was during the SDSU vs. NDSU College Football GameDay in 2019. Levi’s cousin & one of my friends/college roommate, Alexa (Lexi) Gloe, asked if it would be okay if her cousin, Levi, stayed for the weekend. The only thing is that Levi planned on sleeping in a tent in the yard of our college house. With 6 girls living in that house, I can understand why Levi wanted to sleep in a tent. Although we briefly met at this time, Levi still came in to introduce himself to all of us and that is when I first heard about Levi Winkels.


We want to give a quick shoutout to Lexi Gloe, as we wouldn’t be here without you! We love and appreciate you!


Our paths crossed again on May 8th, 2021. Lexi invited all of us to come up to Watertown SD to celebrate her birthday. Haley, Bobbi Jo, Jacinda, Mikayla and I all agreed and off we went. Little did we know, Lexi’s entire extended family was also going to be there since they were celebrating Jan and Stan Winkels 60th wedding anniversary. Overwhelming was the first thing that came to mind when stepping into The Lounge. The Winkels family & friends did not go unnoticed and did not disappoint when it came to having a fun time. I remember Lexi saying to some of us girls that “she has some single cousins.” At that time, I was not looking for a relationship but figured I would keep an open mind and whatever happens, happens. As we moved from The Lounge to Duffy’s, this was my time to strike up a conversation. Levi was hard to talk to. He was engaged in conversations with his family, so I let him do his own thing. Our last stop of the night was Shooters, and this bar did not disappoint. As we were getting close to bar close, the song Dance Monkey by Tones and I (most likely requested from Levi’s sister Samantha Winkels) came on and that got people moving to the dance floor, including Levi and I. We ended up dancing together, flirted and ended the night with a kiss on the dance floor. After we exchanged numbers, our group left. The next morning, to my surprise, was a text from Levi asking if we made it back to Scott and Kristi Gloe’s house safe. How charming. As the weekend was coming to an end, that Sunday, May 9th, Levi asked me a question that would start our journey together. It was a simple, “Would you like to go on a date with me?”


I immediately said yes, and Levi scheduled a date for Wednesday, May 12th. As Monday rolled around, I wasn’t too sure about dating again. Tuesday rolled around and I was thinking of ways to get out of our date. Wednesday came and I went and I am so glad I did! We did Axe Throwing in Sioux Falls and ended up on the Pave patio afterwards for a drink and conversation. I was so comfortable and enjoyed every second of my time with Levi. Our second date was on May 23rd, 2021, Levi took me rock wall climbing. At this time, I knew there was something special about him. Not long after, on June 10th, 2021, with a red ring pop (which I still have), Levi asked me to be his girlfriend. I said yes! From then, we’ve had countless memories together from the past 4 years.


On June 29th, 2024, Levi asked me to be his wife.


On October 18th, 2025, I will forever be Mrs. Winkels.