Their story starts in 2021. Mike had returned from his deployment in Iraq, and was not so thrilled to learn he had been stationed in Albuquerque, NM at Kirtland Air Force Base. Danielle was pursuing her career in Human Resources at a healthcare company in Albuquerque, where she was born and raised. By a twist of fate, Mike and Danielle matched one night in April on the dating app, Bumble. For those of you who have not used dating apps, it can be tough to find a connection where the conversation is easy and has chemistry. Needless to say, Mike and Danielle immediately had a connection and understood each other's humor. After a few days of messaging on the app, they exchanged phone numbers. Danielle was only slightly mortified to find out that Mike prefers to communicate via voice messages, and she had never sent one in her life. After a few more days of messaging (voice messaging) back and forth, Mike asked Danielle on a date. They planned to have dinner that Friday night. However, that Wednesday was Cinco de Mayo, and in New Mexico, this is an event. So, Mike asked Danielle if she had any plans that night and they decided to move up their plans and have dinner on Cinco de Mayo. Mike and Danielle not only had dinner, but stayed up for hours talking about life, making jokes, and enjoying each other's company. After having dinner on Wednesday, they decided they had such a good time that they would still keep their dinner plans on Friday night as well. There was an immediate connection and they knew they wanted to keep seeing each other. At the time, Mike was working overnights in the military and Danielle worked a 9-5, so they could only see each other on the weekends. They continued to prioritize seeing each other every weekend as they began to fall in love. In October 2021, Mike met Danielle's family at the International Balloon Fiesta, where she was dressed as a buffalo (story for another time). In December 2021, Mike and Danielle flew to Cleveland to see an outdoor Browns football game (in case you missed it, in Cleveland, in December), and for Danielle to meet his parents. Throughout the next year, Mike and Danielle continued to grow in their relationship as they finished renovating Danielle's house and started renovating Mike's house, Danielle met Sofia for the first time, they traveled to places like Las Vegas and San Francisco, and moved in together. Now, moving on to 2023; this is a year to remember for many reasons. Mike learned about his drop foot which led to leaving the military, they moved into Mike's house, and adopted Nala's little brother, Jax! In 2024, they experienced the loss of loved ones together, the excitement of new jobs, trials of life, and thrills of love! On March 25, 2024, Mike proposed to Danielle in their home.

Mike and Danielle cannot wait to celebrate in April 2025 with all of you. Thank you for all your love and support throughout the years.