We met in early June 2019 in Bemidji, MN. Seri was in college at Bemidji State University, and Eric had taken a job out of college working on a construction project on BSU's campus. We spent that summer tubing down the Mississippi River, watching concert's on the Lake Bemidji shore, and hanging out with Seri's group of college friends. By the time fall came around, we were practically inseparable, and have been inseparable ever since.

The Plan: Eric purchased the ring in early March 2023, with plans of an immaculate proposal sometime in May. By the end of March, he couldn't wait any longer and came up with a new plan to propose on April 1st. Yes, April Fools Day. When Eric told his sister Marie his plan on the day of the proposal, she thought he was playing an April Fool's Day joke on her. The Story: Seri had a hair appointment in Minneapolis that morning. We planned that Eric would pick Seri up after the appointment, and we would get dinner at our favorite restaurant in Delano. Unbeknownst to Seri, Eric planned to take a detour to a nearby park before dinner. That's where he planned to propose. He had gone to this park just a couple days before to pick the spot, and confirmed that the snow had been cleared from the paths. As we parked the car at the park, Seri was beginning to get hungry and wanted to go to dinner before a walk. Eric persisted that we had to go for a walk first, and so we began to walk down the snow covered paths. Yes, it had snowed six inches the night before. This is where Seri was beginning to question why she had ever agreed to go for a walk in the park, but like the true champ she is, she continued to plow through the heavy-wet snow in her low top shoes. Finally, we reached the spot in the trail that Eric had planned to propose. He got down on one knee, and asked Seri to marry him. Seri said YES, and realized walking down that snow covered path was all worth it.