Every once in a while, you will meet a person and the concept of time will go out the door. I will never forget the day we met. We bumped into each other at our local gas station and started talking. Over 3 hours later, we were still standing at the gas pumps talking like we had known each other our whole lives. Then, Dylan poked his head out the door and yells, “Dad, I gotta pee”. Katie and Dylan were just 6 & 5 years old respectively and sitting in the backseat that whole time. We made plan to see each other later that night and the rest is history… Amazing how one conversation can change your whole life.

Our first year of being together was a year of many firsts. Joe took me on my first camping trip, first ride in a SxS, our first holidays spent together and so many more since then. We made so many memories and went on so many adventures our first year together. We have planned many more adventures and captured many memories since then. I will never forget our first 4th of July together. I had the pleasure of meeting most of Joe’s family while camping on Lake Vermillion. I come from a very small family and if you know Joe, you know he does NOT! He has quite a large family and I was welcomed with open arms. I felt like I was already apart of the family.. we just decided to make it official 5 years later! One of our (or Joe's) favorite memories was when he took Carly on one of her first snowmobile rides on his Arctic Cat Mountain Cat & dipped her heels in the water while going through the narrows. Good times.

Our 4th anniversary was one for the books! 2024 marked 4 years of dating and our last year of dating! We had 4 beautiful years of building our family, making countless memories, going on many trips & so much more! Our life is wild, chaotic, and always very busy, but we have built a life we both love! There is never a dull moment in our house! I would not want to venture through this life with anyone but you by my side! Cheers to 4 years and a lifetime ahead of us! Some of our favorite memories while dating: Snowmobiling from Babbitt to Silver Bay to Hoyt Lakes & Home We accidentally left our back bag open during the last leg of our trip and everything dropped on the trail. Joe rode all the way back to Hoyt Lakes to find everything & Mission success! He did! Camping trips- Lake Vermillion, Kamp Dels, Birch Lake and more! Joe was able to take Carly on her first ever camping trip on an island on birch lake! Then we decided to take the kids to Kamp Dels (a campground built around a waterpark), and we endured one of the worst storms we have ever witnessed in a tent. Joe was standing up in the tent trying to hold the sides of the tent up to keep them from falling in. Carly was laying on the cot- crying & cuddling Mia. The Lost 40- a trip to look at trees! One of our first dates ever was taking a trip to see the Lost 40- a plot of trees that was missed in the original land survey many years ago. Carly convinced Joe and the kids to take a 3+ hour drive one way to go look at the trees. Our first trip to Wisconsin Dells We loved our first trip to Wisconsin Dells and cannot wait to go back! While visiting one of their restaurants, Carly asked, “I wonder why everything is Wisconsin Themed?” Joe has never let her live it down to this day. And so so many more!

Our plan was to go to get groceries in Virginia. When we get to 4 corners, Joe takes a left to go towards Aurora. I was like Oh, he’s going that way. We get to highway 4, and he takes another left. I was like Virginia is that way. He tells me, “We aren’t going to Virginia.. just sit back and enjoy the ride.” My mind was racing a million different directions, but it did not cross my mind he was about to propose. I kept asking him where we were going, and he responds, “You are on a need-to-know basis, and you don’t need to know.” We get to Duluth and he asks me where I would like to eat for lunch. I asked for Texas Roadhouse, so we go there for lunch. While at lunch, he tells me that he wants to go to Enger Tower, and we had been there a few days prior and it was really muddy so I expressed my hesitation. I instantly saw his disappointment, so I said let’s go check it out anyway. It might be different. We park at the base of Enger Tower and walk along the hillside with Mia. We continued farther down the trail until we came across a bench that was overlooking Lake Superior & the Lift Bridge. As we are sitting there, he turns to me and asks, “I bet you are wondering why I brought you up here.” I shake my head yes. He says, “I would like to ask you to marry me.” OF COURSE I SAID YES! With tears in my eyes, I asked him if he was serious. The day was perfect! The weather was beautiful, the location was perfect & it was a very special day. Little did he know, he actually proposed on a very sentimental day to me. He proposed April 12, which also happens to be my Grandpa’s birthday on my dad’s side of the family. Neither my dad nor my Grandpa are with us anymore, but on our way out of Duluth, we were able to stop by Dad’s gravestone and let him know his little girl was getting married. It was a bittersweet moment. I was so happy, but I wanted so much to tell my daddy, ask him to walk me down the aisle and dance with me at my wedding. Although my dad never got to meet Joe, I know he would love him as much as I do. I hope he would be proud of me, of him, and of us. I cannot wait to marry him and steal his last name.

April 12, 2025, we got engaged. April 27, 2025, we booked our venue & the date for our wedding! Now our countdown begins!! We cannot wait to celebrate with each and every one of you on Saturday, June 27, 2026! We cannot wait to start the rest of our lives together! Please keep an eye out for your Save the Date & Wedding Invite! If you thought you should have received one & didn’t, please reach out to us! Come along for our crazy, wild adventures! We cannot wait to celebrate with everyone this summer! 218-750-4333 if you have any questions, comments, or concerns!