Jake and Katie are Engaged!

Katie and I met over five years ago at Houghton. We working together for one of Michigan Tech’s summer youth programs. After a few months of spending 18+ hours a day with each other we fell in love and started dating in early August (or late July, the dates/definitions were a bit fuzzy back then). There was never really any question about where our relationship would end up as the years passed but it was still a big moment when I asked her to marry me this June.

One of our first dates involved driving out near Skanee and looking for the Mouth of Huron. While we failed to find the beach that afternoon we had a great time at Lower Silver Falls. We spent over an hour climbing around the rocks, enjoying the cool water, and taking lots of cool pictures. Since then Katie and I try to stop by this waterfall every time we drive past; whether we have a picnic or just splash around the lower drop, Lower Silver Falls is one of our favorite spots in the Upper Peninsula.

I had purchased the ring and had the obligatory talk with her parents a few weeks before our camping trip. We headed up to Big Erick’s Bridge, excited to get back to the northwoods of Michigan. After a night of camping and some small adventures, we turned back south to Wisconsin. Lower Silver Falls was just a few miles from the campsite and along the way, so I suggested that we stopped there to see how our waterfall was doing. It was here, under the cool shade of the tall pines and with the rush of the water below us, that I asked Katie to marry me. Oh, and she said yes :D

From that point forward we’ve been in a small flurry of planning. Our tentative date is August 10, 2012, though that might change with recent events. We have a twitter account set up (jake_and_kate), because we’re nerds, as well as a preliminary website (jake-and-kate.com) to keep everyone up to date on the wedding plans. In the midst of the planning and preparations one thing is for sure - I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life with Katie.