Rockily. We met while I (Kara) was in another relationship, so I had relationship blinders on. Jen thought I blew her off. 3 years later, our mutual friends of 20+ years reintroduced us, convinced we belonged together. 3+ beers into a business trip in England and one for grand gestures, Jen texted, “Want to go to Australia? I have Mikes.” (Autocorrect for “miles.”) We still joke one of our first dates was to Australia. Somehow, across all the Mikes, it felt like we’d known each other forever.

This is like choosing a favorite child. We’ll say getting engaged on a beach along Lake Michigan. Jen was guarding the heavy picnic backpack with her life because it held the ring, while I happily devoured the charcuterie and wondered why she kept asking if I was done eating. When she finally proposed, it was perfect. Then, as if it was meant to be, a stranger shared photos she’d taken of the entire proposal. (See photos below!)

Truthfully, the real prize is meeting Jeff Goldblum and Emilie. But with $20,000, we’d first hire a bagpiper (and maybe professional carolers) for our annual Jen Den Christmas party (this makes perfect sense to us). We’d put the rest toward a travel fund. Jen is number nine of 10 siblings, my mom is in her late 70s and my sister is halfway across the country, so we’d spend it making as many memories as possible with the people we love.