Annie joined Marcus' coed adult soccer team in 2015, thanks to mutual friend, Hannah, who knew Marcus from their time playing soccer at the University of Puget Sound. Marcus quickly learned that Annie must have been as obsessed with soccer as he was, because she never turned down an opportunity to play! After multiple coed games & invitations to play "pick-up", Marcus started to catch on that maybe it wasn't just soccer Annie was interested in. ;) Conveniently, Hannah's birthday was coming up so he could disguise a casual birthday text as a way to inquire about Annie's relationship status, to which she replied: "Very single!". Marcus pulled out all the cards to impress on their first date, by bringing Annie to the prestigious Nickerson Saloon (RIP) to watch the Sounders game and consume a pitcher (or two) of beer. While it took Marcus some time to call Annie his "girlfriend", they continued to spend a lot of time together that summer and eventually he got used to the scary GF word. Next on the list is getting used to using the term "fiancé", and soon enough, "wife" ;)

Annie really has Alec (Rosie's fiancé) to thank for Marcus finally popping the question! Alec gave Marcus a heads up that he was planning to propose to Rosie by the end of the year, in case Marcus wanted to get his act together and do it sooner. Luckily, that worked and Marcus started planning the logistics and thought Annie's 30th birthday in October would be the perfect opportunity to plan a trip & pop the big question! Thus, the two of them started planning a 2-week trip to Germany. Prior to the trip, Annie started hinting to her friends that she may return to the US as an engaged woman. However, leading up to the trip, Marcus really wasn't dropping many hints so she got nervous maybe it wasn't going to happen. Meanwhile, Marcus had told close family that he was planning to ask Annie to marry him while they were in Heidelberg, one of their first stops. However, that portion of the trip came and went, with no big news. Everyone back home was worried about what Annie had done to mess things up! Marcus ultimately decided against Heidelberg as it was a bit crowded, and he wasn't too amped about all the attention his question would garner there. Instead, he pivoted the plan to Annie's birthday in Munich. Upon arrival to Munich & with Annie's birthday 3 days away, Marcus mentioned having a picnic in the English Garden (a park even bigger than Central Park) on her birthday. Given Marcus never plans anything in advance, Annie started getting suspicious. On October 7th and with their charcuterie packed, they made their way to the English Garden. Marcus opted to go in the opposite direction of the main, touristy part of the park, and they enjoyed a relaxing walk in a more remote area. After about 20 minutes, Marcus led them to a bench area alongside a river. Before sitting down, Annie turned around and Marcus was on one knee and finally asked the question she had patiently waited for :)