Dustin and I met online in 2018. We chatted, Marco'd (Marco Polo is an app like Snapchat), and we even had a first date making Christmas cookies together! It was adorable! We're still not exactly sure why a second date didn't happen very soon after, but we just shrug it off now.

Of course, then COVID happened and kept a lot of us inside our own homes more often than not. Fast forward a year, and we quickly resumed daily communication.

Our dynamic somehow felt much more natural and easy this second time around. I would talk about my pretend dreams of opening a boba tea food truck and I would constantly ask Dustin about his life as a modern day treasure hunter.

We discovered many things in common: Our cats, boardgames, and our passion for cooking or making new or complicated recipes. I shared my Tiramisu DISASTER, but also my Chicken Tikka Masala and Naan bread triumph, and Dustin 1-upped me with tales of smoking brisket and baking sourdough loaves from scratch. Most times we would share our cooking/baking process with one another by sending real time photos/videos throughout. And, actually, now that I think about it, Dustin really should have warned me not to use that much coffee and also that specific brand of Death Wish coffee for the Tiramisu. He really dropped the ball there, but I think he learned his lesson.

Dustin is too humble to say, but he got really good at baking sour dough loaves during Covid. He also started making lattes using something called a Moka Pot, he made milk foam, and taught himself how to do some milk foam art! He still spoils me by making me a latte most mornings. (Photo below credited to our beloved wedding photographer(s) O&B Photo Co. )

More than cats, games, and food, Dustin and I realized we shared the most important sort of things in common.

We share in the same (or at least complimenting) values and in our general outlook on life. Our pulse is kindness, our hearts are acceptance, and our heads are level, firmly on our shoulders, right here on Earth. We cheers to patience, empathy, and human imperfection.

In April of 2021 Dustin invited me to participate (remotely, because Covid still) with his team (Assume The Position) in Stevens Point's infamous annual city-wide trivia contest. The largest trivia contest in the world! Henceforth referred to as "Trivia".

I have since fully integrated with the Trivia team and I look forward each year to helping to host the contest in our home. With our team, Trivia is probably Dustin's most anticipated event each year. He loves the contest, but, moreso, he loves his team and the spirit that fills the house. I love it too. It's quite contagious.

Soon after Trivia, in late April or early May 2021 (PRIME rummage sale season), Dustin pitched the idea of a second first date. He picked me up in his Prius and we cruised around looking for yard sales. I don't remember if we found anything cool or not, but I remember being STRUCK by those eyes.

After yard sales, we returned home and Dustin taught me how to play Catan. If you didn't know, Catan is the gateway game to real boardgames.

In early May '21, Dustin pitched the idea for a first second date and lured me in with a loaf of homemade sour dough as an early birthday gift. (Actual birthday loaf pictured below).

We went on more dates, cruised around a bunch more yard sales, re-watched Game of Thrones together and then Handmaid's Tale, cooked together, and suddenly we were dating!

I met Dustin's friends, and they quickly became my friends too. We had lots of board game nights, went to baseball games, and eventually I had the pleasure of meeting all of Dustin's family. First I met his mom Deb and brother Derek. Deb and Derek taught me how to play Euchre (pronounced "you-kurr") and I think we hit it off, like, instantly.

I think I introduced Dustin to my family in October of 2021. There are lots of family birthdays in October/November, so I brought him along to meet the entire crew. Just like Dustin and I, my family members love playing card games and boardgames, and they have since designated Dustin as the official instructions reader/interpreter for any given game. Dustin has, of course, gotten to know my family a lot more since 2021, and they love him too.

You should see my nieces Natalie and Anara pick on him when we play Six Pack. Or the way that Liv wolfs down Dustin's now infamous Mac'N'Cheese. Or the way that little Elliott loves to pretend-call Uncle Dustin on his pretend phone all the time. They have since graduated to texting emojis to one another on real phones. (Dustin's preferred method of communication anyway).

Next, I think for Thanksgiving, Dustin and I picked up Derek (Dustin's brother) and took a short day trip to Fort Atkinson where Dustin's dad Dave and stepmom Joyce live. I met Dave and Joyce, and their giant friendly, uhh, food-motivated dog named Gladiator in their fascinating octagon home and also got to meet Dustin's stepbrother Cory! The food-motivated description of Glad is not in judgment. He just really loves cheese. So do I.

The summer of 2022, June, I officially moved in with Dustin. At the time, we both had two cats each. If you're wondering how long it took for all the cats to get along the answer is: they still do not get along. Unfortunately Dustin's cat Kaze, the chillest cat of them all, is no longer with us due to old age. The remaining 3 cats (Parker Lou, Murphy Sue, and Grey Cat) are peaceful about 80% of any given 24-hour period.

In January of 2023, I had been dealing with some vision problems and wad diagnosed with keratoconus. So, between January 12th and mid March, Dustin drove me to Appleton at least 16 times for implant surgery, cross-linking for corneal strength, and followup appointments! That's dedication. My eyes are fine now. I have tiny plastic ring implants called "intacs" that help keep my corneas from being stupid.

June of 2023 I purchased a ring to propose to Dustin with. I had known for a long while that I wanted to marry him, and we already had some conversations leaning toward it.

Dustin had been the leap-taker in our relationship. He was the first to ask me on a date, first to say I Love You, first to ask me to move in... And if you know anything about Dustin, you know that he must be stopped otherwise he will get all the Firsts.

I wanted to be the first to propose.

Later in the summer of 2023 Dustin and I and a few of our friends spent 4 days in Indianapolis at Gen Con, which is a giant boardgaming convention. I thought about proposing to Dustin at Gen Con, but if you know anything about me, you know that I can overthink things. I overthought that I would be drawing away too much attention from our friend group fun at Gen Con if I were to propose there, so I waited still.

I felt like it was sort of a race that we were both pretending that we didn't know we were in for who would propose first.

I knew that Dustin would not want anything public or flashy. He would want a scenario where it was just him and I alone, and in my head that meant it had to be done at home.

Since I knew I would be proposing to Dustin at home, I wanted to at least do it over dinner. His favorite dinner. And maybe doing our favorite thing: playing a game.

We had a pretty close long-running tournament of Cribbage at that point, so maybe Cribbage, or maybe our favorite: Castles of Burgundy. Maybe even Bora Bora (the game), or an oldie but a goldie: Catan!

Okay. I knew where, I knew what food, and I knew a game to play. But when should I propose? When are we, humans, supposed to do important things like this? Do I have to wait until, like... a weekend? Sometimes when I don't know the rules in a life situation I'll just make some up for myself. I figured there needed to be one more condition to meet until it would feel like right timing, but I wanted it to be soon.

A couple weeks after Gen Con, I had been writing my proposal to Dustin in an attempt to try to memorize what to say. As I was leaving work one day, a Wednesday, I noticed that it was kind of grey outside and a storm was (literally) brewing. The idea to propose that day hit me, because Dustin loves storms (so do I)! The stormy weather checked a third silly box in my head for proper conditions in which to propose to Dustin.

I picked up a Burrito Tulum for Dustin and a beef chimichanga for myself from a local Mexican restaurant and headed home. On the drive home I was contemplating how bad it would look if I read directly from a sheet of paper as I proposed to Dustin. I had left the paper at work anyway, so I would just rely on memory.

Sometimes Dustin says that it's "not what you know" so long as you "say it with confidence".

I got home with the food, and I wasn't going to waste any time. I snuck into the bedroom to grab the ring I had out of my sock drawer. I didn't need to sneak, because going into the bedroom is not a suspicous activity, so I tried to relax a little and look like I was not sneaking.

I had already texted him to say that I had Tulum/food, so I pitched the idea of eating outside on the patio and maybe play a game too? He agreed without hesitation! He did not question anything! Haha, he's so dumb!

Well, we ate dinner outside, storm still brewing, and we chose Cribbage to play. I can't remember if we even finished a game, but I blurted out that there was something that I needed to talk about, and I think I concerned him.

I then forgot everything I had written down in to say to him and elegantly cry-talked at him for a little while, unsure of what I said, but I at least managed to ask him to marry me. He seemed to understand that, and as calm as always, he smiled and said YES, and embraced me. Then, he said "hey, be right back!" and he went inside the house.

He emerged from the house with a little box, opened it in front of me, and asked me if I would marry him back. (It was a ring. lol.) I laughed and said YES!

It's now been more than a year since I was the First to Propose to Dustin (on 8/16/23). We've had some more adventures.

In March of '24 Dustin and I joined my family on vacation for about a week in Puerto Vallarta in Mexico. It was really a wonderful vacation. We are still dreaming about those sunrises on our balcony.

In May of '24 we stayed in the Fargo Mansion Inn in Lake Mills, and Dustin showed me where he grew up, and we went rummage sale cruising.

On June 13th, 2024 we said goodbye to Kaze. Part of love is sharing in the difficult things too.

Early August we went to Gen Con again, this time as an engaged couple!

Mid August '24 we stayed at Caribou Bay for a long weekend with Dustin's mom Deb, his brother Derek, Uncle Kevin, and Aunt Theresa! My parents and Liv and Natalie even came out to visit for a while. Dustin and I wanted to show them the property since we are getting married there. It's a wedding venue, but it's also just a lodge/property that you can rent for a little vacation.

In September (2024) my sister Chelsey took me on a cruise! This Sisters' Trip was such a generous gift. We sailed out of Fort Lauderdale and stopped at CocoCay, Puerto Rico, and St. Thomas. We ate fancy dinner each night on the ship and I sent Dustin some dinner photos. As responsible adults, we made sure to get our money's worth from our drink package. We did quite a few things, but my absolute favorite thing was snorkeling somewhere near St. Thomas near some tiny islands. We saw sea turtles, a stingray, starfish, and a bunch of fish! I loved this trip, and all next times I'm bringing Dustin.

Dustin welcomed me home after the cruise, fast forward a few months, we've had birthdays, Christmas, New Years, more date nights, game days with friends, stress at work, stress in the country, but love always for friends, family, and each other.

Here we are now! If you're still reading this, you're nearly a part of Our Story! Actually, you always have been. We love you too, and hope to see you soon!