In spring 2015, we both were working at The Hartford Courant, but Kevin worked 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Mikala worked 4 p.m. to 12 a.m. So if friends didn't plan a group outing to Pig's Eye Pub one Friday night in May 2015, who knows how long it would've been until we officially met! After a few more group hangs that summer and fall, we finally progressed to solo dates that winter and realized we both had found someone special.

After dating for nearly three years, we moved in together. Our first apartment on Beverly Road in West Hartford was where we experienced many highs — promotions, marathons, new jobs — and, of course, some lows — COVID quarantine, almost losing our cat to illness, and saying goodbye to our journalism dreams. We couldn't have made it through without each other and we wouldn't have wanted to experience any of it with anyone else.

One night a few days before Christmas 2022, Kevin surprised Mikala by proposing at home, surrounded by the life we had built together over 7 years of dating. The cat was an unimpressed witness who just put her head down and went back to sleep.

We're excited to celebrate our next chapter with friends and family on July 27, 2024, at Tunxis Country Club in Farmington, CT! It's the perfect venue — Mikala's first Connecticut apartment was just down the road and we've played many rounds of golf there over the years. We can't wait to share it with you all!