We met working together at Hy-Vee, I had just transferred from an Omaha store to Carsten's store in Lincoln. I remember, during my first shift at this store, seeing him for the first and thought wow...that guy has amazing hair. A few a days into working, Carsten had to train me in customer service. He was a little grumpy about it at first because I already knew how to do the job, but I had to learn the way the Lincoln store did certain things, like store closing duties. We talked a lot during those training shifts and really got to know each other. One of the things I learned was that Carsten is really into anime. I told him I had never watched that genre before and he then made me a whole list a shows I had to watch. I asked him which one I should start with and told me to watch Demon Slayer first. So I did, I got to about halfway into the season when I made him watch an episode with me at my apartment. I could tell he was really nervous because he refused to sit next me and he was pretty quiet the whole time. After the episode had ended, we went for a drive in his Challenger and listened to the new Joji album that had come out that year. I only knew a couple of his songs because of TikTok. That album has come to hold a very special meaning to us and every time I listen to it I am reminded of that night we first hung out together. -Morgan

I didn't really have a big plan in mind and was just going to wing it in on her birthday. We had been together 2.5 years and I was finally able to get the ring from my grandma to propose. I had initially planned on proposing earlier at a Joji concert (an artist I had introduced her to on our first date) but my grandma, who had the ring, had gotten covid and I was unable to get it. Since it was Morgan's birthday, she kept pestering me about getting her gift. She kept asking what it was and I repeatedly told her I'd give it to her later, but eventually I caved. I told her if she could find it in the room where I had hid it, she could have it. I hid the ring underneath a pile of clothes that I knew she was going to wear that night. I played a game of hot and cold (she was doing horribly) and she finally got to the pile of clothes and I told her that she was very close. She proceeded to pick up the pile (including the ring) and toss it on the ground and was confused because she did not see anything. She picked up the pile at least three more times before she eventually found the box and was slightly confused. She opened the box and saw the ring and I asked her if she wanted to marry me (She said yes). -Carsten