We attended the same junior high and high school and ran in similar crowds of athletes - for Cody baseball and football, for Emily, softball and volleyball. With plenty of mutual friends, we knew of each other but we were never anything beyond acquaintances. Many of you know that Ranger blood runs deep!! After college, we found ourselves at a bonfire (shoutout Clayton Dahly) with some fellow FLHS graduates. The typical 'what have you been up to?' conversation was not short as Emily became attentive to Cody's stories of his adventures out west in Colorado and Wyoming. After the evening wrapped up, Emily shot Cody a text to let him know how great it was to catch up and wished him the best as he headed back west. That summer, Cody did not return to the mountains. Instead, he found himself making plans with Emily. The first of which he showed up on his motorcycle... ask Jason about that one!! Cody was always invited back by Emily despite her denial that they were anything more than friends. Ice cream dates, motorcycle rides, and hikes persisted through out the summer. It was an end of summer camping trip to St. Croix State Park that convinced Emily that we had a good thing going.

After a brief slumber on an air mattress, an early morning alarm, 13.1 miles for Emily, and 26.2 miles for Cody, Cody got down on one knee... praying that his tired body would get up again! With our families and a good amount of Grandma's Marathon participants/spectators as witnesses, we turned the page to the next chapter of our lives together. Emily said YES, and Cody did manage to get up off the ground without assistance.

It was the bride's father, Jason, that put this venue on our radar. At first it sounded like a heavy lift as the venue lacked an event manager, a preferred list of vendors, and many of the other 'easy buttons' that often come with a traditional wedding venue. After chewing it over for a couple of weeks, we decided that having our wedding on the lakeside grounds of an old Scouts camp spoke to exactly what we envisioned our day FEELING like. No grand production or strict timelines - but rather being hugged by nature and surrounded by our favorite people for an entire weekend. A little non-traditional, but nonetheless "us." You are all near and dear to us, and we are overwhelmed with excitement and joy that we get to celebrate this next chapter in our lives with you.