Maggie and Justin met for the first time at a swing dance in December 2004. It was there that they had their first dance. Maggie was impressed with Justin’s dancing skills and was shocked when she learned that he had only been dancing a few months. Justin thought Maggie was cute, but winter break was only a few days so it wasn’t until late January when dancing finally started up again that they saw each other. Justin enrolled in the Swing Society’s “Intermediate Lindy Hop” class, which Maggie just so happened to be co-instructing. It was there that he and Maggie became closer and started flirting. Justin truly was “hot for teacher”. By this time, the annual swing semiformal was coming up and Maggie and Justin both thought it was the perfect opportunity to ask each other out. Maggie beat Justin to the punch by asking him to the dance, and Justin made it an official date by suggesting dinner.

On their first date, they had dinner at Siam Terrace (an awesome Thai food restaurant), went swing dancing in the Illini Union Ballroom, and watched a late night episode of Seinfeld at Maggie’s apartment with some swing friends. Justin was the last to leave, and like a true gentleman, he didn’t kiss her on the first date. He did, however, make up for it two days later on Super Bowl Sunday when they kissed for 8 hours straight!

From then on Maggie and Justin saw each other often. They continued to swing dance, they spontaneously went to Indianapolis to see the Illini basketball team play in round two of the NCAA tournament (the year they almost won!!), and they went to a few rock concerts. Justin shared his love for video games with Maggie (GTA, X-Men Legends, Worms, and World of Warcraft), and Maggie shared her love for the TV series, Sex and the City and Seinfeld.

In May of 2006 Maggie and Justin made their first big commitment to each other by purchasing a house. The move went smoothly, and for the first time they were allowed to share life with one another 24/7.

Justin knew that Maggie was his soul mate, and by September of 2006 he saved up enough to secretly purchase her engagement ring. The days went by, but Justin couldn’t think of a proposal that he felt was special enough for his one true love. Finally, one early December morning the proposal idea came to him while he was singing “The Twelve Days of Christmas” in the shower. He made five cards for the first five days of Christmas and had them printed. On Monday, December 10th, Justin gave Maggie the first card, passing it off as an artistic idea he had where he would make one for each day. When Justin arrived home on Friday (the fifth day), he immediately turned on the fireplace and all the Christmas lights. He then asked Maggie to come over to him by the fireplace where he gave her the fifth card and said, “Maggie, the song goes that the fifth day of Christmas my true love gave to me five golden rings, but I’d like to give you this engagement ring. I love you with all of my heart and I want to have a family with you and grow old with you. Maggie, will you marry me?” She of course said, “Yes!”

In February of 2007, Maggie and Justin began attending Quest First United Methodist Church where they have seen their relationship with one another, and with God, grow even further. They are both very excited to be getting married and can’t wait to share their excitement with their families.