Written from Seth's perspective: Makinsey and I grew up 20 minutes apart and not knowing one another. We met in Washington D.C during a high school FCCLA national level competition in July. The only connection we had at the time was mutual friends who were dating. I first met Makinsey as the group of us from Bangor we sitting in her hotel room hanging out. My first impression was "Wow! What a stunner". I was taken back when she looked at me and talked to me, TWICE! Due to my limited previous interactions with girls at that time, I was on cloud 9. And then that was it... March rolled in and brought with it high school basketball playoffs. After a game, I went to a Perkins restaurant in Onalaska (Sheri's is the WA equivalent) to hang out. As I walked through the restaurant to be seated, I saw a girl in a booth that looked familiar but I just couldn't figure it out. She waved at me as I imagine she caught me staring at her, and the Washington D.C. trip came back to me, it was Makinsey. I talked her ear off as we caught up on the last 8 months as fast as I could talk. I told her that the Bangor guys were hanging out back in town and she was welcome to join them. I gave her my number to call me if she had any trouble find my buddy's house and I got hers (I know what you're thinking: smooth, Seth just got some digits! But in all honesty my oblivious self was in the literal mindset of only exchanging numbers. I was a naïve, nervous, and an awkward kid at the time with sweaty hands). Makinsey paid her bill and left. At the time, I assumed she headed to see my friends, but to my surprise about an hour later she came back to the Perkins and joined my table, where we talked the night away. After that, we continued to talk for over7 year to get us where we are now.

From Seth's perspective (I tell stories better): With diligent planning and a stroke of good and bad luck I was able to pull of the proposal. My idea was to do it in the park of my home town of Bangor at the end of the fireworks show on the 4th of July (because who wouldn't love having a sparkler American flag in the background of their proposal while listening to "God Bless the U.S.A." - by Lee Greenwood). The selling point was that our friends would be back in the area to visit and we could relive an old canoe trip tradition. In addition, college friends of ours had to reschedule their wedding to July 2nd (this was the good luck). So we booked the flight. The day of the fourth started with a rain cell on the radar that stretched from the top to bottom of the state of Wisconsin and it starting at 10AM (the bad luck). I knew that this would call for an audible because the idea of the fireworks was looking more like getting down on one knee while under a packed humid park pavilion with a curtain of cigarette smoke hanging in the air. Memorable but not "romantic". The plan was now to head for Grandad's Bluff in La Crosse rain or shine. I let my friends know and we got the day started with myself and two friends shooting in a 100 bird trap shoot. We shot fantastic in the rain. Two of us came out with shooting 25 straight. I jokingly said, "This day cannot get any better", to which my friend laughed knowing what the focal point of the day was. We headed back for the house to change out of our wet clothes and check in on the plan for the day with the girls that was already in affect. The other two girls staying with us for trip were grooming Makinsey for the day unknowingly to her. We headed to La Crosse to meet up with her brother at Howie's bar for lunch. on our drive, the clouds had parted and the rain had stopped to our surprise (good luck). I said again ""This day cannot get any better". Once at Howie's we found out we hit the jackpot of Happy Hours. 2 for 1 on burgers and beers. "This day cannot get any better", I said to the group. On the drive up to Grandad's, guys and girls drove in separate cars. The three of us guys combine enough half functioning braincells to come up with the game plan of getting Makinsey to stay in front of us and the rest of my friends to stay out of the pictures. We were going to appoint her as the group tour guide. Once at the parking lot, my friend suggested Makinsey to show them around for it being all their first time to Grandad's. The bait hook was taken and set! She went with it on full stride sparing no detail, even explain the place where our dog Dakota had peed last when she was there. When we got to the lookout, Makinsey jumped up onto a stone bench with her arms open to the city view. I stood 2 feet behind her for what felt like a moment frozen in time. My heart was hammering. **Note: True story that I have never had a bad experience in life when I've started an action using the phase in the next sentence**. I said in my head "F@*k it". I grabbed Makinsey by the hand as she was still on the rock. As I helped her down, I dropped down to one knee and asked my best friend to marry me. After hearing a her yes and embraced on a hug, I said with an emphasis "This day cannot get any better".