Craig and Jessica have been in the same friend group for approximately 15 years. They always knew of each other and would often hang out with the larger group. However, the prospect of dating didn’t cross either of their minds as they were both younger and Jessica lived in many out-of-state locations until late 2019 when her job brought her back home to Wisconsin.

After Jessica's recent move back to Wisconsin. Their mutual friend Ashley had asked both Jessica and Craig to help plan a surprise birthday party for her husband Ross. FUN FACT: Jessica and Craig were both in the bridal party in 2015 at Ross and Ashley's wedding. AND Ross and Ashley will stand up at Craig and Jessica's wedding in 2024. While at Ross and Ashley's wedding - Jessica's mom had told her to go dance with "that guy" - pointing at Craig from across the room. Little did she know what was in the cards for them five years down the road. You know what they say "Moms always know best" and in this case, she predicted chemistry long before Craig or Jessica ever did! Back to the main story: So Jessica wound up helping Ashley with decor the night before Ross' surprise birthday party and Craig was in charge of bringing Ross the day of. When Craig arrived with Ross, he was immediately interested in the “the year you were born in” fun fact board Jessica had made - stating that “Goodfellas is a great movie”. Jessica loudly chimed in from across the room and proudly announced that it was her favorite movie of all time! (That piqued Craig's interest) Later that evening, Jessica and Craig discussed many gangster movies and their mutual love for them. Rewatching many clips of Goodfellas at the party, Craig realized Jessica had never seen the entirety of The Godfather Part 1. He was determined to change that! Jessica was so excited by their conversations over the weekend. She didn't hesitate and quickly messaged Craig the following Monday. As the world was beginning to shut down due to COVID-19, she didn't hesitate to make the first move - Inviting him over to watch The Godfather Part 1 together during the first week of lockdown since they had recently hung out in person anyway. (Turns out, if she wasn't so impatient - Craig was planning on messaging her if she hadn't messaged him first!) A few days later they were having their first date - during the first week of lockdown and committed to watching one of the longest movies together, Jessica and Craig met to watch The Godfather Part 1. Good thing Jessica's mom knew that he was joking when he offered to "bring anything? A 30 pack of Natty, bottle of wine or perhaps a horse head, ha. You'll see in the movie" he stated. (Turns out he secretly won Jessica's mom over on that one as she thought Craig had a good sense of humor). Since Jessica loves to cook and had extra time on her hands due to lockdown. She prepared some homemade pasta and had her homemade red sauce simmering on the stove for dinner that evening. The pasta dough was ready to roll with her trusty KitchenAid stand mixer - which she made Craig roll out some pasta as well! The Italian food wasn't on purpose as she always has the supplies on hand to make a hearty Italian meal on a whim. (She had no idea if he would even stay for dinner after such a long movie) But what a first impression! Unknowingly, pasta and meatballs are one of the ways to Craig's heart and one of his all-time favorite meals. The rest is history.

Each year - Craig and Jessica pick a new baseball stadium to visit while the Brewers have a series vs the opposing team. Baseball, specifically The Milwaukee Brewers are Craig's 1st - now 2nd love. Last year, they chose to visit Denver for the baseball series at Coors Field. Craig and Jessica have also been to Miller Park aka. American Family Field, Target Field, Fenway Park, Wrigley Field, Busch Stadium, and more. They are already discussing ideas for their 2025 trip! Now not all of their trips are baseball-related. But, Craig and Jessica have agreed that they have to see the city as well; they go to two games while on vacation so they can see the surrounding areas and attractions as well. Craig proposed to Jessica while on vacation in Colorado during their annual baseball trip. He proposed at Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs. He knew Jessica had two requests if he ever proposed - "No Jumbotrons and no Holidays". Craig had made a first attempt at proposing while on a hike but couldn't take the ring out because she was just staring at him while he "took a rock" out of his shoe from the gravel-filled trail. (No, the ring wasn't in his shoe, it was in his back pocket). Turns out, she was afraid of a snake or other creature coming out of the brush. So, later on down the trail - Craig tried again while Jessica was turned the other way. When she turned around, Craig was on one knee and stated "Jessica, will you spend the rest of your life with me?". (So are they even REALLY engaged at this point?) Haha, of course, the answer is YES! No matter how he would have asked, she knew she would happily say YES to Craig. #welcometopoundtown