He said, she said
As Joshua tells it…
I met Gabrielle in the best way at the worst neighborhood bar in Chicago. It was one of those late spring Friday nights in Lincoln Park where everyone is really anxious for summer’s arrival and everyone is trying to pass the time by trying to find something to do. I received a call from my good buddy Max saying that he and some of the guys were at Halligan and asked me to join. You wouldn’t think it would take much convincing considering I live two blocks from the bar, but after hearing Max’s sales pitch, I reluctantly agreed to stop by - which happened to be the best decision I’ve ever made.
Upon arrival, I found the guys through the crowd of people, only to notice that Max was not there. “Where’s Max?”.. “Oh our good buddy Max is over there talking to a table full of girls,” the guys replied. Instantly, I said “peace” to the guys and went over to meet up with Max and introduce myself to the group. Shortly after, Max and I were able to convince both parties to intermingle, and that’s when I met Gabbie - in the middle of the cleaning-solution smellin’, sticky-floor-havin’ establishment that is Halligan. IRL.
After hitting it off and talking all night about the upcoming summer in Chicago, the legendary ‘85 Bears “46” defense, euchre, and basically all things midwest, we both got up from the back left booth and exchanged numbers on their way out the door. This is where things went awry.
Gabbie, probably awestruck by how tall, dark, and handsome I looked in my Banana Republic polo, “accidentally” gave me the wrong number…. And the rest is history. Just kidding, there is a lot more to the story after that. But the long-story short of it is, thanks to a great great great group of friends, we finally figured out the number exchange, and have been on a grand adventure ever since. In true Josh and Gabbie speak, “it’s been the greatest thing ever.”
As Gabrielle tells it…
Josh and I met for the first time at the worst bar in Chicago: Halligan on Belden and Lincoln. We were both with friends from Soul City Church, so it wasn’t long before the groups started mingling. As we did, I remember learning that Josh loved his family, was an architect and — given that he’s a Michigander — wasn’t that impressed that I was a lifelong euchre player. It seemed like a foregone conclusion that I’d give him my number, and I did at the end of the night as I headed home.
Turns out, I wasn’t as smooth as I thought. When he didn’t text me the next day, I had a sneaky suspicion that something with the number exchange had gone awry. My feelings were confirmed when we saw each other at Soul City the following Sunday: Josh lamented to our friends that I didn’t text him back. I had given him the wrong number!
Thank God for technology, Soul City and our mutual friends. I was able to get his number and confirm that I was interested. From that point on, I knew that the redhead I met and almost missed at Halligan might be the one — and as with my other gut feelings and suspicions at the beginning of our relationship, I was right.
What started in a bar came full circle in a garden.
Our relationship origin story might have slightly different versions, but we’ll always look back on the events of August 23, 2023 with perfect clarity.
After Josh stealthily grabbed the ring (and did a silent, secret dance in the kitchen) from his parents on the east side of the state, we headed north to one of our favorite places in the world — Mackinac Island — to celebrate our anniversary. We’ll never forget noticing how misty and cold it was while on the ferry ride there.
We endured that same mist and cold through a round of golf later that afternoon — which naturally left Gabbie ready for hot chocolate and a nap. That’s why, when Josh suggested a walk around the grounds of the Grand Hotel, she put up such a fight.
Any possible sass quickly dissolved as soon as we entered the Secret Garden: a gorgeous, secluded eden that’s usually — if not for a bit of bad weather — filled with other tourists. In that moment, we realized why God sent us rain that day: we were completely alone in the garden. As Josh proposed, it was just us, a beautiful view of the Grand Hotel, and the flowers.
Needless to say, it was an obvious, enthusiastic, teary and rainy yes.