We first met in 2014 at Purdue University thanks to our mutual membership in Purdue's All-American Marching Band. This was Michael's final year in the band, and he decided to trade his baritone horn for The World's Largest Drum as a member of the Big Bass Drum Crew. Sara was captain of the Golduster Dance Team and had danced in the band for the last 3 years. Later that year, Sara and Michael ended up taking a Geology class together, but didn't interact much beyond an occasional "hi" or "how are things going at band practice?" In August 2015, the marching band took a trip to Medellin, Colombia at the invitation of the Colombian Government. Michael and Sara happened to reconnect in a bar on the first night of the trip (Michael walked in, and Sara handed him a drink). They knew that there was some kind of attraction brewing and spent as much time as possible together during that trip. After the trip, Sara returned to Purdue, and Michael back to Burlington, Vermont. That fall, Sara invited Michael back to Purdue for a football game, which officially kicked off their long-distance romance. Michael flew between Vermont and Indiana whenever possible until Sara graduated in May 2017. Sara began grad school at Purdue in August 2017, and Michael moved back to the Pittsburgh area in December 2017 for his current job with Gateway Engineers. While their relationship was still long-distance, Michael could at least drive from Pittsburgh to visit Sara now, instead of flying. In December 2018, after graduating with a Masters degree, Sara moved to Van Wert, OH to work for Eaton Corporation. Then, in February 2020, after over 4 years of living in separate cities, Sara moved to Washington, PA thanks to an opportunity with Eaton. Michael and Sara moved in together just as the Covid-19 pandemic began.

Michael and Sara were planning to take a trip to France in the summer of 2020 to celebrate Sally and Ned Helms' (Michael's aunt and uncle) 50th wedding anniversary. Unfortunately, Covid had other plans. Looking back, Michael wanted to use this trip to propose to Sara, but those plans would have to wait. The France trip was rescheduled for July 2022, and Michael finally proposed to Sara in a vineyard on July 4th. As much as Michael thought that this was a secret, Sara was not surprised, but fortunately said yes! Michael proposed using a ring from his late grandmother, and this ring was later used to create a custom ring for Sara. In the spirit of not rushing things, it was decided to have a summer 2024 wedding. Michael and Sara will have been together for 9 years by August 10th!

After we returned from our 2022 France trip, we bought a house two blocks down the street from our old apartment. We enjoy the character and history of the old houses in our neighborhood, including the brick streets and mature trees. Our home was built in 1902 and needs some love, but we have enjoyed making improvements and breathing new life back into it with DIY repairs and ongoing projects. Our two pets, former street cats Cullen and Outside Cat, love to run around the house and constantly keep us on our toes. Check out the gallery tab for some photos!