We met on the dating app Hinge and immediately hit it off. While it was a few weeks until we could actually meet for a date after initially "matching", the more we got to know each other, the more it was obvious to both of us this had the possibility to be something special. Out first date was at Navigator Taproom (hence the password to this site), which is a pour your own beer/wine bar in the building that we live in now (we are on a first name basis with many of the bartenders there now). Becky expressed her excitement by shouting, "It's so nice to meet you!" while walking up to the table letting everyone know that we were on a first date. We had such a good time that we made plans to get sushi the next weekend and tentatively to head to Saint Louis for an upcoming holiday...if sushi went well, which of course it did! :-)
Our first trip together was to Saint Louis for St. Patrick's Day.
We flew down and knew we were off to a good weekend when the flight attendant gave us free bloody mary's on the flight. We owned the bloody mary bar, toured the Anheuser-Busch facilities, visited Wash U, ate and drank through the Central West End, and unfortunately people watched at Big Daddy's on the Landing. We both knew this was really going well when we were in bed by 9pm on Saturday night eating pizza and watching How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days (not foreshadowing!).
Never has Mike been more nervous than flying into Phoenix and hanging out with Colin and Jessie before making the drive to Tucson to pick up Becky from the airport on the way to Steve and Linda's. Upon arrival, they had prickly pear margaritas and homemade pizza and were ready for a great weekend of warm weather, touring the Fred Lawrence Whipple Observatory with Ed, and visiting Saguaro National Park.
Two weeks after Mike met Becky's parents, we were heading to Fort Wayne for Becky to meet Mike's. We missed our flight and still can't agree on who's fault this was (it was Becky's), but by the time we made it home to a house full of Mike's parents' friends, we were ready to have a great Easter weekend! Becky toured Fort Wayne and finished the weekend with an Easter brunch in the highest restaurant in the city. The weekend ended with their first "I love you".
Mike had this all planned out for Becky before she ruined it...twice.
They were allegedly heading to Milwaukee for Memorial Day weekend before Becky discovered that their itinerary was fraudulent. Thinking quickly on his feet, Mike enlisted his good buddy Scott to surprise Becky by pretending to receive a tour of an architecturally significant pond and surrounding area. Becky sniffed out this surprise also so Mike said, "screw it" and proposed to Becky at their apartment when she got home from work. We drank champagne and ate french fries for dinner and then headed to scheduled plans to watch an illusionist with one of Becky's best friends and her girlfriend.
The next day they brunched at Ella Elli, their favorite establishment and took the Chicago architectural tour before enjoying a long dinner of lobster, softshell crab, shrimp, and sushi. The rest of the weekend included a Cubs game and dining atop the Hancock building before having a quiet night and enjoying each other's company to end the weekend.