Let's rewind to 2019. Caleb graduated from Eveleth-Gilbert High School, and Madeline from Virginia High School. They had known of each other, and though there was an attraction, nothing came of it then.

Madeline still recalls thinking she should try to reach out to Caleb but found out he was packing his bags and moving to Alaska. She assumed nothing would ever happen between them due to the three thousand miles.

In November 2021, Caleb was back in Minnesota after working in Montana during the fall. He reached out to Madeline over Thanksgiving weekend, inviting her to a bonfire at his dad's house just two miles away. Playing hard to get, she said, "No, but if you want to see me, you can visit me in Duluth." Madeline was living in Duluth, attending St. Scholastica.

Caleb, being Caleb, took this as a sign to be more persistent. The two hung out and hit things off, but Caleb was returning to Alaska. The goodbye went something like this: "Well, thanks for the good time, but I don't know if/when I'll ever see you again. Enjoy Alaska!"

Caleb flew back to Alaska and continued to FaceTime and Snapchat Madeline to pass the days, and he often told her about how she should visit Alaska during the summer. Madeline thought, "Mhm, yeah, right. No way will I be going to Alaska."

Spring break 2022 was fast approaching for Madeline, and Caleb offered to buy her a ticket to visit Alaska for the week. Madeline couldn't think of a better opportunity to visit Alaska, just one slight problem. There was now the matter of telling her parents she would fly to Alaska to see this guy they hadn't heard of before. Thankfully, that went well, but Madeline learned that texting her mother at 1 a.m. was not the best way to do things.

Spring break in Alaska went amazing for both Caleb and Madeline. On March 13th, 2022, Caleb asked Madeline to be his girlfriend, and she happily said yes. Not knowing how this relationship would fare with the distance, they knew it would work out.

From March 2022 until now, Madeline has made several trips to Alaska, while Caleb has visited Minnesota just as frequently, if not more. On June 16th, 2023, Caleb proposed to Madeline, and she happily accepted. And here we are today!

We're moving in together for the first time after the big day, so we've put together a gift registry of things we would like to complete our home for our new life together!