Blake and Shea met online on Bumble. They began a silly conversation which quickly struck their interest in meeting one another in person. They met the first time at Milner Library at ISU. A couple weeks later they decided to become official, just a few days before the pandemic lockdown occurred on March 12, 2020. They spent the next few months doing an online relationship, then a long distance one, until eventually Blake was able to move to Normal to be near Shea. Their love story grew with numerous adventures, small trips, and lots of laughs.

On September 10, 2022, Blake took Shea on a train to Chicago to celebrate her birthday with her. After arriving to Chicago, they took an Uber to the Apple Store. Upon arrival, Blake took Shea down the river area in between the Apple Store and Trump Tower where he dropped down on one knee and asked Shea to marry him. Shea of course said yes! They spent the rest of the day touring Chicago, taking a boat tour down the river, and eating at Navy Pier. Their engagement love story blossomed from there!