We wish we had an exciting 'how we met story', but alas, we met like most couples meet these days; through the miracle of online dating. After messaging for a few weeks, we decided to meet for coffee in Oshkosh and see if there was anything there worth pursuing, on April 8, 2021. After Robin grilled Brett on various topics, we found we had plenty in common to start to build on.

We are both very driven in our careers, focused on the long game (saving for retirement, trips, etc) and enjoy nothing more than spending time together. Our strongest commonality is our attitude surrounding the importance of family, and above all else ensuring family relationships are strong, meaningful and healthy. We want the same things long term, and dream of building a family together.

Robin lived in Oshkosh at the time (in the infamous School House, Holly, Robin, Austin, and Mitchell all having gone through the pandemic together as roommates). Brett had his house in Fond du Lac, just a few miles from his parents place. We drove back and forth between Oshkosh and Fond du Lac for a year, getting to know one another better, meet our families, and share stories and experiences.

Our love to travel started right from the very beginning. We started our annual trip to Chicago very early on, and have made trips to Lambeau for Packer games, to Milwaukee to watch the Brewers and the Bucks, and to Madison for Badger Hockey and Football games. We enjoy trips to the School family cottage up north, to Door County for wine and cheese, to Wausau to see the leaves change, Elkhart Lake and Sheboygan for spa getaways, Minneapolis to see friends, and to Wisconsin Dells to enjoy waterparks and shows. Larger trips soon followed; we’ve visited Florida with Brett’s parents, Jim and Melody, to soak in some sunshine and quality family time. A trip to Las Vegas to eating in the Eiffel Tower there, and to New York to stay in Times Square and climb into the crown of the Statue of Liberty. Most recently we enjoyed a drive down Highway 1, and spent time in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Malibu, CA.

In March of 2022, Holly sold her house and Robin took a promotion within BMO Bank that lead her to relocate to Whitefish Bay WI for a year. During that year, Brett would drive to spend weekends in Milwaukee, or Robin would drive back to Fond du Lac to spend time in the Fox Valley. There wasn’t a single weekend we didn’t see one another, and our relationship continued to grow. In March of 2023, Robin gave up her apartment and moved into Brett’s house in Fond du Lac. Robin spent the next year commuting to Whitefish Bay to allow us to spend more time together and see what living together would be like.

In January 2024, Robin and Brett both took on new jobs (Brett moving from Wells to Ahern, and Robin promoting again within BMO to take on a work from home job in Business Banking). After some urging, Brett agreed to get a dog, and we brought 7 week old puppy Max Maverick Merkel home (the most adorable mini golden doodle) on May 10, 2024.

On November 23, 2024, we went to a Broadway show at the PAC in Appleton, and went for a walk afterwards to enjoy the Christmas decorations and kill time before our dinner reservation. After some deliberation, we found ourselves in the skywalk above College Ave, overlooking the PAC. Brett felt the time was right, the moment fit, and it was time to get a beautiful ring out of his pocket (where it had been living for several months) and onto Robin’s finger. Brett made a beautiful proposal, bent the knee, and asked Robin to be his ‘partner in crime’ forever. Robin of course said ‘YES’!, the moment was perfect! And, well, the rest is history.

Thank you for being a part of our special day to celebrate the uniting of two families, two souls, and the start of our amazing life together as Husband and Wife. We appreciate everyone’s support and love!

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