We bought our first house just before Halloween 2017 in Rochester, Minnesota, two years after meeting. A fenced-in backyard for our dog, Hank, a couple bedrooms for future guests, and a full kitchen for baking all of our first meals. The move in process was quick with so many of our friends coming to help us. We definitely learned that being homeowners is a LOT of work. It took Mike an entire afternoon to figure out how to change the thermostat to a smart home one... and in the end, it wasn't even compatible with our furnace. It took all of Devyn's immediate family to help paint every bedroom, closet, and bathroom within 16 hours! Shoutout to her cousins Casey and Brady who peeled wallpaper for hours, helped move almost every box from the garage to the house, and only complained under their breath!
Mike caught Devyn completely by surprise mid-vacation in Stockholm, Sweden. Mike is horrible at surprises; he hates them, he usually spoils them, so Devyn never thought he would be able to pull off a surprise proposal. Turns out he had been planning for months, but actually managed to keep it a secret with a little help from our friends. On our way to lunch with our friends, one of our new Swedish friends said he "wanted to paint everyone" and that "he does this for every visitor." After maybe 90 seconds, he claimed to be done, and some of friends went to "look at his painting." Before Devyn could reach the painting, he turned the canvas over on the easel and instead of a picture of the four of them in the courtyard, the canvas said "Will you marry me?" Mike tried to read a letter he had written, but got one line out before he got too nervous. Instead, he got down on one knee and offered the ring. Devyn was so surprised she scared Mike and their friends into thinking she was going to say no. After she said yes, strangers in the square clapped and took pictures, but the happy couple were completely oblivious. Thankfully, our friends Trishul and Amy had recorded the whole thing!
Our boy Hank! A friend to all, he loves everyone he meets. At 10 years old, he's getting a little grey, but would never admit it. He doesn't know his own limits and will run and play fetch until he comes back limping if we don't stop him. He's the best dog trained dog we'll likely ever have. Mike fell in love with Hank the first time he met him, however, Hankers adores Devyn the most and is always at her side. The only people he ever shies from are the cats...
We have two cats, Watson and Pippin.
Devyn adopted Watson in college over 7 years ago! He has always been a strange cat. He has never been able to meow, only hiss, he is not agile and can barely jump onto the couch, and he hates most people. A "one-human cat," Watson only ever liked Devyn and her roommate Brenna in college. When he moved in with Mike, Devyn, and Hank in 2017, he HATED Mike and the dog. Four years later, he adores Michael and is more affectionate with him than Devyn. Some things never change though, and even though Watson and Mike have become friends, Watson still hates every living person that enters the house. He's a better guard animal than the dog. Speaking of the dog, Watson and Hank are still not besties, but they tolerate each other.
Pippin is our kitten we got last summer. We thought WE were getting another pet, but really Watson was getting a pet. The two cats are inseparable. Pippin has brought out a fun side in Watson we didn't know existed! They act like normal cats together, racing up the hall and staircase in the middle of the night and nap together in their comfy bed (we had to buy a bigger one than the one pictured because Pippin is almost as big as Watson!). Pippin loves to annoy our dog Hank, following him around the house and trying to play with his tail.
Someday, when we have a house in the country, Mike is afraid Devyn will turn the acreage into a "crazy cat lady ranch." He may be right...