Come celebrate with us!

Kolin and I met in January 2019 in Dallas, Texas for a Chipotle date and began dating shortly after. I was finishing up my undergraduate degree at the University of Texas at Dallas while Kolin was halfway through chiropractic school at Parker University. We spent as much time as we could meeting up for study dates, spending Sunday mornings at church, going on walks through uptown Dallas, and making meals together. As I was set to head back to Chicago for Physical Therapy school in August, we were met with the question of long distance at only 7 months of dating. Despite the limited time we had had together, we both agreed that we had something that was worth at least giving the distance a try. I was (and still am) blown away by how much fun Kolin made life- daily activities like grabbing dinner ingredients from Walmart was suddenly an exciting time to hang out, and with him I was spending entire days laughing. Kolin was so intentional and loving and so willingly put me first from the first day we met. We transitioned into long distance with lots of tears, but were able to find school or work breaks to visit every few months where we got weeks to even months at a time of squeezing in as much time together as we possibly could. We racked up hours on the phone and on FaceTime and pushed through months apart and the rough 16 hour drives from Chicago to Dallas when we could. When Kolin graduated from chiropractic school, he moved back home to Ohio and we were pumped to be only 6 hours apart. We like to joke that maybe once we’re married we can live just 15 min apart if we’re lucky! Nowadays, we get to see each other for a weekend or two a month, and have plenty of planning and coordination to do with the wedding coming up. We attribute a lot of our success during the times apart to our faith and our family and friend’s support. We are thankful to everyone who made this journey incredibly special for us both and we look forward to celebrating our story with you all!

On June 4th, Hannah drove down to Ohio to spend the weekend helping Kolin study for his last chiropractic national board exam. As she made her way to Ohio, she had no idea that her mom and dad were flying into Ohio the same evening. We had planned a lunch date on Saturday, June 5th at a winery near my house as a break from studying. I suggested walking the long way around the lake at the winery before lunch as our reservation wasn’t until later, and eventually led Hannah off of the path and under a willow tree near the lake. After spending a couple minutes taking in the view and telling Hannah how grateful I am for her, I got on one knee and asked her to marry me. Hannah was completely caught off guard but happy to say yes. Officially an engaged couple, we headed down the path and into the restaurant for lunch. Hannah was shocked again to see my parents sitting at the table waiting for us. As she hugged her future in-laws, Hannah’s parents came down the stairs behind her- Hannah spun around and her eyes lit up as she realized they were there. For the first time, our parents were able to meet and we were all able to be in the same place, enjoying a beautiful lunch together at the vineyard. It was a day we will both cherish!