We met at Midland University in Fremont, Nebraska. Maggie is originally from Fremont and was on the dance team at Midland. Matthew is from a suburb of Chicago and was on the hockey team there. We met in 2016 in an English class course called Orange Humanities. We were put in a small group to discuss a reading we were supposed to do for homework. When Maggie saw Matthew's name on the board she thought, "What kind of last name is that?" Little did she know it was going to become her future last name! When in the small group, Maggie had not done the assigned reading so she politely made Matthew present to the class what the group discussed since he was the only boy. Also while making small talk in the group, Matthew had asked Maggie what else she did at Midland. When Maggie replied that she danced Matthew said, "Yeah I guess that's kind of a sport" which did not make Maggie too happy.

After this encounter, we talked through social media and often saw each other at parties. We talked more and more and eventually had our first date at J's Steakhouse in Fremont. Maggie was quite patient and after about seven months Matthew finally asked her to be his girlfriend. From there we graduated from Midland, saved up, and bought our first home in Fremont. After about a year of living in our new home, Matthew proposed! Now we are gearing up for the wedding and loving on our puppies. We have a Saint Bernard named Koke and a golden retriever named Gunner. We spend most of our time with the dogs but also enjoy hanging out with friends, going out and trying new places to eat, and reading books.

Matthew proposed on April 8th, 2023. About a year prior, we had talked a lot about getting engaged and Maggie had even picked out a ring. Soon after that, the two decided to buy a house so the engagement was postponed. Maggie had an idea that Matthew might propose soon, but she was completely surprised when he did it.

Matthew's family had come into town for Easter. The two families had gone for a casual dinner at a local bar. While we were at dinner, our good friends Ali and Andrew were at our house setting up all the magic. After dinner, Matthew suggested the group go for ice cream so the proposal could happen closer to sunset. This should have been a huge hint to Maggie because Matthew never suggested dessert, but as previously mentioned she was clueless. The families had said their goodbyes, Matthew and Maggie headed home. When we arrived, the backyard was set up with an aisle of candles leading up to a blanket. Behind the blanket were paper sacks and string lights. The paper bags spelled out, "Will You Marry Me?" Our golden retriever Gunner was dressed up in a tux, and Ali and Andrew were hiding to take videos and pictures. Matthew walked Maggie to the blanket, got down on one knee, and asked Maggie to marry him. She of course said "Yes!" Afterward, our families came over and celebrated with champagne, and lots of happy tears and smiles were shared.