In February 2016 Nicholas met Natalya while working in northern Minnesota for Conservation Corps, MN. They worked on separate crews but hung out on the weekends in a group for 8 months until they started gaining feelings for one another. They even went to get Crew Tattoos with friends Austin and Saraya before they started dating. With only 2 months left to their seasonal gig, they started dating with the looming uncertainty of the coming months. They spent long weekends together, and traveled up to Thunderbay, Canada on a whim (and got strip searched at the boarder for looking like up-to-no-good hippies).

December 2016 came and Nicholas went back home to Pennsylvania. They continued to talk long distance, neither pushing to close the distance, nor wanting to end their formed companionship.

February 2017 Natalya invited Nicholas back to Minnesota to meet her family. Over Valentine’s Day! No pressure there! He accepted and Natalya was thrilled.

Soon after Natalya accepted a job in Monticello, Utah with a Youth Conservation Corps and Nick accepted a job on a farm in North Carolina. His stay in North Carolina wasn’t long, he went back to Pennsylvania after a month, and called Natalya regularly.

October of 2017 Nick decided to take a leap of faith and moved out to Utah with Natalya, with no true plan in place. They traveled to Ireland, Luxembourg, Germany and France together. Natalya took in her puppy Thea after the passing of her dear kitty Puska. Natalya, knowing Nick was allergic to cats, decided to get the most cat-like-dog she could find, a lazy pitty-lab mix.

In February of 2018 Nick joined a 9 month welding school program in Phoenix Arizona. They visited each other most weekends, making the 6hr drive from Arizona to Utah, or camping together somewhere in between.

November of 2018 Nick and Natalya had had enough of the desert heat. Nick graduated from welding school, Natalya resigned from her position in Utah, and they moved back across the country to Detroit Lakes, MN where Natalya's mom and stepdad graciously let them crash in their basement until they found new permanent jobs. They planned on this arrangement for 3 months, but it turned into nearly 10, as job opportunities in NW Minnesota were thin. They started a garden in the backyard, thus began their homesteading passions.

August of 2019 Natalya landed a killer position with a Soil and Water Conservation District on the Iron Range, and Nick found a welding position nearby. With just a three weeks notice they moved to Nashwauk, MN where they stayed for nearly 2 years. They continued to garden at Natalya’s parent’s property in Detroit Lakes (a 3 hour drive away, they were committed to fresh produce), and tinkered on hobbies in their free time. During the Covid years, they took in their puppy, Gunner, a rambunctious German Shorthaired Pointer pup who is only now settling down.

July 2021 Nick and Natalya closed on their 100-year-old farmhouse on 30 acres in Aurora, MN. A new type of adventure began. Their home needed a kitchen, bathroom, and some TLC. They showered outside until October, then set up a make-shift shower in the basement for some time.

By March 2023 Nick and Natalya were able to complete their long home renovation task list, and were finally able to breathe and start planning for the future again.

Although long term commitment was up in the air the first part of their relationship, once Nick moved out to Utah to be with Natalya, they fell hard for each other and knew they had found their people. They agreed to prioritized their careers, and building a home, before deciding on marriage. They grew up together. Now, at 30 years old, they’re ready to make their commitments to each other official, and start the next phase of their life with a really solid foundation.

Please know that Nick and Natalya, being private people, don’t often wear their hearts on their sleeve. But hold their relationships with friends and family in high regard. Thank you for celebrating with us!