Our Love Story
Date-not-date at The State Fair
first goodbye
Late Night Swing
Phone Calls
california visits
Home for Christmas
48 Hour short film
Costumes
back in minnesota
Surprise Mexico Proposal
It all started on a Thursday night…
A night that would become much more special than Annalisa and Michael ever could have imagined.
Thursday night meant one thing: TC Swing Dancing! Annalisa and Michael both spent years dancing across that very floor, yet somehow their paths never crossed… until one magical night when the timing was just right.
That magical night, they found themselves talking on the stage, laughing, and dancing the night away. What started as one conversation turned into countless late-night talks that stretched until 5am, long after the music had stopped. Annalisa showed up with her big bows in her hair and her giggly smiles, and Michael with his strong arms, humor, and amazing dance moves.
As the summer went on and the leaves began to change, Annalisa and Michael found themselves spending more and more time together. What started as “I can’t wait to see you at swing”, turned into adventures outside of the dancehall. They made a silly short film together, went on a “date-not-date” to the State Fair, where Michael was excited to show Annalisa all of his favorite foods… only to discover she was vegan (the first challenge of their relationship haha). They spent evenings watching classic movies in Michael's homemade theater, finding any excuse to dress up in costumes, and creating memories that felt straight out of a rom-com.
The inevitable was approaching though… Annalisa was moving to California. Before she flew away, Michael wrote her 12 sweet little notes, each paired with a red rose, to tell her how much she meant to him. California was an exciting new adventure for Annalisa, but she found herself feeling really homesick. Michael felt like a piece of home. Their phone calls to each other became the best part of their days.
When Annalisa came home for Christmas it felt like no time had passed. They went on what definitely was a date, but never called it that. They created another short film together for the 48 hour film challenge. In a funny twist, Michael proposes to Annalisa in this short film - a little foreshadow to their future ;)
After another goodbye, Annalisa headed back to California… but not long after, the world shut down and brought her right back home again. Staying for an unexpected three months, they spent almost all of their time together baking, walking, dreaming, exploring, dancing, and falling more in love. They decided to make it official and give this a real shot.
world shutdown times
broken foot times
The next four years were filled with late-night phone calls, long conversations, and many trips back and forth to see each other whenever they could. Life had a funny way of bringing them back together. Annalisa broke her foot while living up her dream of longboarding on the Santa Monica boardwalk, which meant another unforeseen trip home and more time together. While it wasn’t the reason she would have chosen to come back, a little part of her was secretly excited knowing she’d get to spend that time with Michael. He took such good care of her and was there for her through it all.
The goodbyes became harder and harder, and eventually they knew they had to make a difficult decision about what came next. Annalisa made the bittersweet but ultimately best decision to move home.
For the first time, they were finally in the same place and got to experience life together in the same state.
Not long after, Michael proposed on their New Year's Eve trip to Mexico, in front of Annalisa's favorite blue water, surrounded by some of the people who mean so much to her - her little brother, and her mom and dad. Even her big sister, Autumn, was there in spirit; and by spirit, I mean, by just happening to call on FaceTime at the precise moment of the proposal. Everyone was in on it and Annalisa had absolutely no idea. They celebrated with an amazing dinner and of course danced the night away under the beautiful Mexican sky.
And now after all the goodbyes, flights back and forth, unforgettable adventures, long phone calls, and a whole lot of patience...
Annalisa and Michael can't wait to finally say "I Do". And of course they couldn't think of a better day than on a Thursday - the same day of the week their story began.