Our Story
So it’s only natural to assume that Mandi and Will met in college at MSOE, right? As if it was that simple.
It wasn’t until a couple years after school that they met – at church! Mandi and Will were
both attending Elmbrook Church, a congregation of several thousand in South Eastern Wisconsin.
Noticing another MSOE graduate, a girl none the less, Will had to introduce himself. From that brief
introduction, Mandi and Will slowly got to know each other over the next few months. They bumped into each
other at retreats, weddings, and Sunday morning services. Eventually God found a spot where they could
serve together in the high school ministry. As leaders and mentors for the same group of students,
they grew a friendship.
After many months of getting to know each other, Will eventually worked up enough courage to ask Mandi
on an adventure up North. They traveled to the UP to see the Paulding Light, a natural light phenomenon
near Watersmeet, MI. After this weekend trip to the UP, they started dating. However, even from the
very beginning it seemed that they both had their sights set on something more than dating.
Several months later, Will sent Mandi on a bit of a treasure hunt. They had planned a weekend to go
camping in Wisconsin. Little did Mandi know, she wasn't going camping at all. On a Thursday evening,
Will put an envelope under her couch in her apartment. On Friday morning, he emailed her a message to
look under her couch to find an envelope with her name on it. Inside the envelope, there was a note,
keys to a car, and an airline ticket. The message explained she was going on a “hunt” for the day.
Mandi’s hunt started at Mitchell International Airport (MKE). Her flight left from Milwaukee and
landed in Marquette, Michigan. She was told in her initial note to look for Will's car in the airport
parking lot. In his car was a second note with hints leading her to Presque Isle.
At Presque Isle, Mandi found a third note by a water fountain shaped like a lion. This letter sent
her walking around Presque Isle "counter clockwise". After a long walk through the woods along a path
by Lake Superior, she found Will sitting on a rock overlooking the Lake.
After a few nervous minutes of wave watching, Will finally pulled out a ring and asked Mandi to
marry him! And of course she said YES!
After months of wedding planning and preparation, Mandi and Will were married on February 25th,
2006, in Negaunee, MI. As they put it, "It was God who brought us together and God who continues to
bind us together to this day."