Kyle and Madison first met in June of 2019. Madison was drawn to Kyle's "kind eyes" and Kyle loved Madison's big smile. For their first date, they went on a bike ride together which quickly became one of their favorite hobbies. By the end of the date, they both knew they wanted to see each other again. By the end of dates 2 and 3, they both knew there was something very special there. Fast forward 4.5 years later and they cannot imagine life without each other.

A few of Madison and Kyle's favorite memories together during those 4.5 years include spending time with Kyle's son (and Madison's soon-to-be stepson), Jack. He is the light of their world. They also enjoy hiking, exploring new places in Iowa, playing with their dog, Leah, going to breweries, scoping out the best burritos in Des Moines, going to hockey games, camping, their annual winter cabin trip and continuing to squeeze in bike rides as much as they can.

Although the couple had talked about marriage and Madison knew there would be a proposal sometime in the near future, Kyle totally shocked her on the weekend of Sept 30, 2023.

It was oddly hot for that time of year so the couple decided to go camping at Lake Ahquabi State Park. After a nice morning hike around the lake with the dog and some breakfast, they decided to spend the better part of the afternoon hanging out in the shade along the shores of the lake. They played frisbee, read books and magazines, and enjoyed the great weather. Madison commented out loud a few times how it was "the perfect day." Little did she know, it was about to get even better. Before she knew it, Kyle was down on one knee asking her to marry him. Stunned and ecstatic, Madison replied with a resounding "YES!"

The only thing Madison really wanted in an engagement ring was for it to have a story. She wasn’t totally sure what that meant but with some creativity and permission from both families, the couple combined sentimental family stones into one custom piece. The middle outer stone came from Madison's mom’s original engagement ring. The other four, two on top and two on bottom, came from a ring from Kyle’s side of the family. And the larger focal stone is new. It’s the perfect representation of their merging families and has all the meaning and the story they wanted.