We first met back in elementary school, spending most of our school years in the same circle of friends but not really knowing each other well until high school. We didn't become close friends until senior year and, as it turns out, that was just the beginning.

After graduation in June 2016, life took us in different directions. Mikala headed to Oregon to play college volleyball, and Justin stayed closer to home for school. Despite the distance, we kept in touch — mostly through iMessage pool games and friendly bets (one of which included Justin having to visit Mikala in the new year).

Over that winter break, we celebrated New Year’s Eve in Chelan with friends and felt the first hint of something more than friendship. On the drive home, Mikala fell asleep on Justin’s shoulder, and something quietly shifted. A few days later, we went on our first date — a winter hike to Heybrook Lookout. Between slipping on icy trails, a spontaneous stop at the Reptile Zoo, and Mikala falling into a freezing river while Justin captured the moment on camera (yes, there's photo evidence), we realized we had something special.

In true "iMessage bet" fashion, Justin made good on his promise and visited Mikala at school in Oregon that January — and again in February. We took every chance we could to see each other, even planning a camping trip to the Oregon coast that March. The night before leaving from Portland, Justin asked Mikala to be his girlfriend — and she, of course, said yes.

That first summer together in 2017 was packed with adventures, road trips, and a lot of talks about our future. We were pretty much inseparable and took every chance we could to spend time together. As summer ended, we started planning visits and trips for the school year ahead to help make the distance feel a little shorter. Eventually, volleyball wasn't working out anymore and Mikala ended up transferring schools closer to home. Meanwhile, Justin was accepted into Western and for the next couple years we settled into a rhythm of weekends together in Bellingham.

When COVID hit in March 2020, what was supposed to be just a two-week stay at Justin’s apartment quickly turned into months of quarantining, finishing school online, and building a life together in real time. We lived, worked, and graduated side by side — a crash course in cohabitation we both secretly loved.

In 2022, after Justin graduated, we moved back to Snohomish and lived at his dad’s while saving for our dream—a house of our own. Marriage had always been part of the conversation but we agreed we wanted to start our lives together investing in a home before officially tying the knot.

That dream came true in October 2023 when we moved into our first home in Marysville. We dove into renovations, combined our lives (and our stuff), and started building the cozy, chaotic, love-filled home we’d always imagined.

In September 2024, Justin proposed in Mikala’s favorite place —at the beach in Point Roberts surrounded by her family. Just a few weeks later, we made the family feel even more official by adopting our sweet pup, Baker.

And now, after nearly a decade of memories, moves, milestones, and everything in between — we’re so excited to finally say I do and start this next chapter as husband and wife!