Winter 2020/21 - A few friends, especially their good friend Jared, asked Jacob & Elise all winter if they would be interested in each other. They knew each other from church but not much more than what their mutual friends had told them. They were open to it but not making any moves. 5/1/21 - Jacob & Elise plus some friends went skiing at Mt. Baker subtly trying to see if they could maybe like each other some day. They mainly focused on the skiing plus the strange sunny and rainy weather combo. 5/5/21 - Jacob & Elise's second group hangout is credited to their friend Jared and his delicious margaritas for a Cinco de Mayo party. Jacob & Elise sat next to each other all night and everyone thought he'd ask her out that evening. Nope. 5/18/21 - Jacob finally asked Elise out via a very formal (no fussing about with exclamation points or emojis) but sweet text message. It took Elise all of ten minutes to reply with a yes. 5/20/21 - Their very first date! They went to a rooftop bar in the U-District of Seattle and enjoyed the views of Seattle and a cocktail each. It went so well that on the elevator ride down they decided to continue the date at a second bar and ended up staying out way past their bedtimes talking. Summer 2021 - Jacob asked Elise to be his girlfriend in early July amidst many more dates including cooking together, mini golfing, beer tasting, bowling, game nights, meeting each other's families, rafting, camping, boating with friends, traveling to San Diego, going on runs, hikes, bike rides, and more! Fall 2021 - Early Winter 2022 - see the gallery tab for a romantic montage/sped up rendition of their dating story. Lots of adventures! Valentine's Day 2022 - They finally admitted they loved each other out loud. They also decided it would be a good idea to get married sometime. April 2022 - Jacob went home to Colorado for two weeks to babysit his little brothers and in his spare time created a beautiful custom wooden ring box to hold something special he wanted to give Elise the following month. Memorial Day Weekend 2022 - An action-packed weekend was supposed to culminate in a relaxing Monday, but Jacob had other plans. Elise went out to brunch with her friends Kate and Christy, but instead of taking her home afterward, they dropped her off at the Seattle airport. Jacob texted her a boarding pass for a flight to Bellingham, and she then had to wait in the airport for over an hour by herself knowing she was going to be proposed to that day. When she got to Bellingham, Kate and Christy had already driven there ahead of her to pick her up and chauffeur her to the proposal location. Jacob was waiting at a scenic park overlooking the water. When Elise arrived, he sent her a map to his location and after getting over the stress of possibly getting lost in the woods, Elise made it down to her future husband. Jacob read Elise a proposal poem he wrote. They both cried. She said yes! 1/28/23 - They just can’t wait for this day. They’re getting married! Come witness and celebrate with them!