cheers to forever

Spence grew up in Birmingham, Michigan and attended Seaholm High School. I know it's hard to believe, but his first love was not always Margaret...it was hockey. He started playing hockey when he was 10 years old, moved away from home when he was 17 to go play juniors, played 2 years of college hockey at Milwaukee School of Engineering, & transferred to Florida Gulf Coast University where he finished his athletic career and received a degree in Software Engineering--smart cookie--and met his forever person.

Margaret grew up in Holly, Michigan, where she attended Fenton High School. Margaret played soccer, basketball, and golf in high school, but soccer was the sport that ultimately stole her heart. She played 4 years of college soccer at Boston University, where she received her degree in Health Science. Thanks to covid-19, she had an extra year of eligibility. Margaret's plan was to head down to FGCU for one year, play her final year of soccer, get her masters in business administration, be with family for a year, and head straight back to Boston to be with her college besties. About three quarters of that is true--God had different plans.

Our story officially began on September 12th, 2022, but God had us on an invisible string long before that. After both transferring down to Florida Gulf Coast University for hockey and soccer, Spence and I both became heavily involved with Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA), an organization on campus that unites athletes that both play a sport & love Jesus!! It was a regular Monday night when my teammate Lindsey, and I made our way to FCA, running a few minutes behind—per usual. When we arrived, everyone was socializing, waiting for the meeting to begin. Spence, being the punctual man that he is, was already there, conversing with one of our now amazing mentors, Brent [if you're reading this, Brent, thank you for being a part of our story:)]. Spence and Brent stood behind Lindsey and I, chatting about hockey… & I bet you all can guess where the story goes next: "wait, are you on the hockey team here?" I asked as I whipped my head around & connected with the bluest eyes I had ever seen. "yeah," was Spence’s romantic response. "Do you know Brady Carlock?" (Brady is one of my hometown friends who also plays hockey at FGCU) [thank you Brady!!!!] "Do I know Brady? Of course, I do, I'm from Michigan!!" "wait….I’m from Michigan…” I wish I could say the rest was history, but God was only beginning to piece our story together. The meeting began, and unfortunately Spence and I had to hold off on our Michigan conversation. However, we had no idea we’d have to hold off for several weeks, given that hurricane Ian came through SWFL and caused FCA to be cancelled. In the meantime, we were both left with the butterfly feeling of, “who was that” and “how do I see him/her again”?? In the midst of those weeks, we both did our social media stalking…I was CONVINCED Spence was off the market and had a girlfriend for two reasons: 1) because his Instagram made it seem that way and 2) how could someone that handsome be single??? However, I still remember texting my best friend group chat after that meeting, saying, “guys” “there’s a boy”. We fell hard & we fell fast. It was only a matter of time before we were staying up all hours of the night attempting to learn every little detail about each other. I knew I had met someone special, but I needed my best friends’ stamp of approval. The timing could not have been more perfect because they were coming to town. Spence spent an entire weekend on the “hot seat” with the girls, answering every question under the sun, and being our personal uber. He must have studied really hard because somehow, someway, he passed the test. From there, the rest was history.

My sweet Spence Patrick pulled off an engagement that measured far beyond what I could've ever imagined. May 6th, 2024, will be a day I forever spend reliving over ++ over again in my head. It all began with a two-week trip to Europe. We had a lot to celebrate: Spence's graduation, the signing of our new business venture, ++ Joel’s (Spence's step-dad) retirement after 40 years as a Delta pilot. ++ here’s where it gets even more special—Joel’s final flight as a Delta pilot was the one that flew us to Rome! That moment alone set the stage for an unforgettable trip. The planning for the trip was chaotic, ++ due to our busy schedules, it was getting harder to coordinate everything. Thankfully, Spence’s mom, Tammy, introduced us to a travel agent, Debbie, who helped us plan. We knew one thing for sure—we wanted to tour the Vatican. We had planned for two days in Rome, but with our late booking, the Vatican was sold out—we were BUMMED! 2 days before departure, Spence called me into the kitchen. “Babe, Debbie secured us two tickets for the Vatican! It’s a private tour + a full day in Rome.” My first thought was, “What does that mean?” “I don’t know, I just threw my credit card down!” At that point, we had planned “Rome in a day” for day one, and I suggested we explore some local hidden gems, which fit perfectly into Spence’s plan. Day 2 arrived ++ we dressed in our best because according to Spence, “you never know—we may meet the Pope!”. Our driver picked us up, and from the moment we began our Vatican tour, it was clear that Jesus was walking with us. We entered before the crowds, ++ the entire experience felt divinely orchestrated. Our guide tailored the tour just for the two of us, making it feel even more personal and meaningful. It was a moment that set the foundation for a special day. After the Vatican, our driver picked us up, ++ we headed off to an unknown destination. Being my usual nosey self, I wanted to ask hundreds of questions. Lucky for spence, the language barrier kept me quiet. We wound up a mountain to find a stunning fountain with a panoramic view of Rome. Two photographers were there waiting, ++ when we got out of the car, they said, “It’s included!” I looked at Spence, who gave me a shrug as if to say, “I have no idea; I just put my card down.” This is where my heart took off for the races. As I stood there, taking in the beautiful view, I glanced down at my hands only to find them shaking like a wet dog after a bath. “I’m going to turn around and this man is going to be on one knee,” I thought as I tried to control my trembling. This was our big moment!!! Well folks-I turned around and he wasn’t. “MARGARET ROSE !!!!” I thought, “you’ve got to stop!” Taking a breath, I let my guard down ++ decided to just be present ++ stop letting those little voices distract me from the precious moment ++ beauty in front of me. As we began taking photos, we walked over to the fountain. It was then, my sweet Spence Patrick looked at me with those blue eyes and said, “I just have one more surprise for you” ++ and got down on one knee. While I was so thankful to have this moment documented, I couldn’t help but feel like I wanted to pause ++ feel fully present. After the proposal we had our driver drop us at a favorite local lunch spot where we recapped the whirlwind of events over pasta and champagne. Laughing about all the secrets ++ lies Spence had told me over the months of planning, we realized that everything happened so quick that neither one of us bothered to ask where in the heck we were! *Spoiler alert: here comes the best part* As we walked through the streets of Rome, still high on the joy of the proposal, we looked up and saw a familiar fountain in the distance-God answered our prayer! We grabbed a bottle of champagne, made the 20-minute hike back up, and shared our own special moment as we popped our bottle of champagne over the sun set and entire city of Rome. God’s timing was perfect.

+ 2 Michiganders had to go to Florida to meet their soulmate! + we are new business owners! Together we are opening the first Matterhorn Fit franchise (planning a wedding and opening a business in the same year is fun, I promise!!) + we love to be active -- our favorite weekly date is our Saturday morning workout and Starbucks run...also love a good golf match where I let Spence know who's boss:) + we said "I love you" before we were "officially" dating -- Margaret said it first (funny story) + we are ice cream and coffee addicts! *** + We met September 12, 2022, officially started dating January 2nd, 2023, got engaged May 6th, 2024, and getting married April 25th, 2025! + Spence told his best friend, Jack, about 2 weeks after we met that he met girl he was going to marry...at that point, he knew nothing about me