Our story
How we met
Katie
In September of 2020, I went on a mountain biking trip at Kingdom Trails in East Burke, VT with Becca and Jaeger to peep some leaves and earn some turns. The trip was a wildly successful weekend of friendship and outdoor fun (despite a minor midnight incident). At one point the crew had a discussion about the difficulties of online dating, particularly in a pandemic, and how it may not be a bad idea to expand my normally Boston-centric dating pool to include the outdoorsy mecca that is the Northeast Kingdom.
Meanwhile, Michael was at the family’s getaway house in Concord, VT with a handful of his co-workers. At one point he hopped on Bumble – and we matched! Our profiles caught each other’s eyes immediately. Michael was drawn to my upbeat demeanor and interest in the outdoors while I was drawn to Michael’s kind presence, sense of adventure, and (of all things) his hometown. He’s from Hebron, CT, which is less than 20 minutes from where I grew up in Lebanon, CT.
The conversation flowed easily with fun and lightness, yet it also had a level of commitment and openness that I had never experienced before. I started to realize that there was a good chance that our first date was going to be the beginning of something big.
Fast forward to our first date – mountain biking, Illiano’s, and running into my Dad (yes, seriously) and the rest is history. Everything flowed with ease, and it was honestly like we had known each other for years. Going forward, we hoped to change that sense of knowing each other for years from a feeling to a reality.
How we moved to VT
Katie
During March of 2021, Michael and I began to talk more seriously about moving in together – at that time Michael was living in CT and I was living in Boston. We wanted to live in an area where we’d start to get to know the local community and eventually want to settle down. Prior to meeting Michael, I was planning on moving somewhere outside of Boston at the end of my lease (I could feel my rural roots calling me home!) so we started exploring smaller communities.
After looking at a number of communities in the greater Boston area (and being discouraged that it was both expensive and not feeling like the right fit, we had a discussion about moving up to the getaway house in northern Vermont. I would be able to make my job remote with monthly trips to the office, and Michael felt that he could find work he enjoyed in the White Mountains. We decided to give it a shot after a discussion with his mom Robin. She not only embraced the idea, but put in a lot of help and effort to make the house feel like a home. Robin continues to go above and beyond as a source of advice and support.
Michael was able to get a job as a Park Guide at Mt Washington, and I (unexpectedly) interviewed for a great opportunity at Toast, a Fenway-based restaurant platform. Maybe doing that while moving wasn’t the best timing for keeping stress levels in check, but with some support it all came together.
Our days since have been a mix of working, hiking, biking, running, and hosting friends/family who have made the trip north. Michael has since started working at Bretton Woods as a snowmaker. I haven’t missed Boston itself that much, which has been a pleasant surprise, but I do miss my friends and family being less than 2 hours away. We’re still making sure that many of our relationships that were closer geographically come along for the ride and stay close emotionally.
How we got engaged
Michael
While on a guy’s trip to visit Brian in September of 2021, I get a call from Katie who was at a family wedding with her Aunt Sue. Apparently she just received an heirloom ring that we would be able to reset into an engagement ring! We had been talking about marriage and the future prior to this point, but this event started to make that dream a reality. Once we were back home we decided to design the new ring together with a local jeweler.
At the jeweler they mentioned that it would be ready in January, so that’s what Katie had in her mind. One day in December, while we were getting our Christmas tree, the jeweler called and said that the ring was ready! I went to pick it up later and started thinking of the right opportunity to ask her to marry me. The problem was, my work schedule was not consistent or regular, so I couldn’t be sure of when we’d have a day off or outdoor adventure together.
The perfect opportunity finally came on New Year’s Day of 2022. Katie and Jaeger were planning to do a sunrise hike to support a local cause and I was able to join once I knew I had the day off. To keep Katie from thinking that I had the ring, I kept saying that I hadn’t heard from the jeweler and didn’t have an idea of when it would be ready. We enjoyed the hike and had a chance to meet some folks in community that we hope to see again. After, I suggested that we stop by the south beach of Lake Willoughby to take some pictures.
After taking a couple of photos, I asked her what our next adventure would be. She said something along the lines of, “I don’t know, another hike?” – not getting the hint. From there I took one knee and asked if my best friend and adventure partner would marry me. She said yes! Our nonstop activities, continued growth, constant support, contagious smiles, and love has me excited for our future!