When Brookie Met Scottie

Scott and I first met back in February 2006. I drove up to Minneapolis for the weekend to visit my cousin and future roommate Stacey. She had been invited to a friend of hers birthday party. We actually gave Scott and his roommates a ride to the party. I thought he was super cute and never thought in a million years that he'd even talk to me. I instantly felt comfortable around him and we talked the whole night. I called Cevonne the next day to tell her all about this guy I met and she said, "You're going to marry him." My reaction was, "My initials will be BAT."

We spent almost the entire weekend together. Seeing as I was not living in Minneapolis I was worried we wouldn't see each other again, but Scott assured me he would come to Appleton during his spring break. I remember coming home excited to find that he already friended me on Facebook.

We had awkward phone conversations and chats on AIM and then a month later he did indeed come up to visit me. The next week was my spring break and we agreed that I would drive up to Minneapolis   to see him.

A month later I drove back again.

That's us the same weekend behind my college roommate Jacob.

When Scott finished his semester he went back home to Cudahy for the summer. This was a lot easier for us because it was a shorter drive. I remember one time we were on the phone and he asked his mom if a girl he liked could stay for the weekend.

I went up to Little Chute a few times, but we couldn't let Brooke's parents know. We stayed at her friend  Morgan's place instead. The second time her rents were out of town so I actually got to stay at the Little Chute abode. I didn't meet Mr. and Mrs. Mike for a while.

After one more visit from Scott, I moved to Minneapolis.

Brooke came down for the Intonation Music Festival, which became Pitchfork Music Festival an annual tradition with my sister and her beau at the time.

I spent many weekends that summer driving down to Milwaukee or Chicago.

I even took her to one of my best friend's weddings.

Then that fall Scott came back to Minneapolis and we could finally see each other whenever we wanted.

Bad hair day guys, bad hair day.

I liked her so much that I took her to visit my sister in Chicago a few more times.

We were pretty much inseparable that fall. As we knew what was to come.

We spent our first Christmas together with both our families. And then it was time for me to say goodbye again.

Scott ventured off to London for a semester.

I didn't have the internet so it was hard for us to talk besides through emails that I would check at school. Then during my spring break I flew out to be with him for 9 days.

Somebody thought I was proposing to Brooke in this pic. I thought, "I love this gal, but we just met a year ago!"

That fall Scott moved in with me at the punk house.

That's me sleeping. I still like sleeping.

We went to the State Fair again, this time with her sisters.

I took him to my aunts house for Thanksgiving.

I was totally cool with that.

He met a lot of my friends from back home.

 One day I captured Peanut in the wilds of south Minneapolis.

We thought he was Brooke's cousins cat. Luckily we got our own super cool kitty.

We spent 10 days in New York with his siblings.

We kissed  a lot.


Sometimes we used hot dogs as intermediary.

I made him a Holga birthday cake for his 22nd birthday. 

Then all our cool friends went out for Brooke's 23rd b-day. We were so hip.

I decided to get glasses. Brooke still liked dorkier me.


We continued to explore the city, becoming bikers 4 life.

We went on many adventures together.

 In the spring of 2008 we decided it was time to get our own place.

We'd seen enough scuzzy punks.

Scott helped me make my first wedding cake. 

I wore that blue shirt to every wedding.

We lived in a small apartment in Stevens Square. Still our favorite place to live minus the cockroaches and lack of storage. 

You couldn't ask for a better location. I miss peering out the windows and seeing the nearby skyline.

We celebrated many birthdays with the likes of Savannah, Jordan, Ben and few other Wisconsin expats.

We even set up a darkroom together.

And haven't used it since. A new darkroom should be on our to do list this year.

At the end of 2008 we both graduated from college.

Our first Christmas card pic.

We began a new love interest in photography.

 
Scott was a part of my family.


And I was a part of his.

We started getting older and looked forward to heading back home to Cudahy and Little Chute.

In May of that year we took a trip to New York City after all the flights to San Fran were full. Chelsea worked for the airline, but you couldn't guarantee a seat. I said, "Why not stay with my bro in Brooklyn."


When we could we hung out with Olger in Madison. He's been my friend since high school and I'll never let that dude go.

After three summers of dating, I finally got to the family cottage in the Northwoods.

That same summer of 2009 we started our love of camping.

As I had a full-time Journalism gig, we had weekends off. We ventured north to Duluth that Summer.

We loved the views.

My big sis Katrina, Brooke and I went on our first and only Zombie Pub Crawl. It was just cooler then.

Brooke decided being a bearded lady was cool and I decided Bob Ross was my idle.

Back up at the cottage, this time in the dead of winter.

 After New Years 2010 Scott proposed and of course I said yes.

Peanut continued to do gross cat things.

We took our first big road trip to Albuquerque in the spring of 2010.

 We bought our first house a month later.

We went back to Duluth, this time with Blake, and ventured past the city to the Northshore.


Apple picking became an annual event.

Clearly we got a lot of snow that first year on the Northside.

In February 2011 we started this blog together.

I took some silly pics to complement Brooke's.

We both looked forward to marriage.

We never stopped biking or taking photos.

Brooke bought me Easter candy and proceeded to eat it.

 I started losing my mangy mop, but Brooke still liked me.

Out latest love is gardening. Even though our hood can haven it's rough moments, we couldn't trade in our backyard for a tiny downtown apartment.

We actually tied the knot, which wasn't a big deal. We'd already been together for 6 years.

On October 14, 2011 we were finally married.

October 14 marks one year since we were married or the almost-seventh year we've been together.