Our Love Story

Photo by Britany Watling - this photo was taken while we were working on our red-winged blackbird project!

Chelsea and Michael met at the University of Connecticut on May 10, 2013. It was the first day of a field ornithology class they would be taking for the next three weeks over the summer. (For those who don't know, ornithology is the scientific study of birds). Michael, was taking the course to finish out his undergraduate degree so he could graduate in August with a Bachelor of Science in Natural Resources. Chelsea decided at the last minute to take the course out of general interest. 

On the morning of May 10th, Chelsea woke up at 7:30am and trudged to the Torrey Life Sciences building for class. As usual, she was a little late, and most of her new classmates were already sitting at the lab tables. Chelsea took the last seat at the center table towards the front, across from a boy named Michael Heyn. Michael immediately thought that Chelsea was beautiful, but admittedly, a little nerdy. He was intrigued by her, and he wanted to get to know her more. Chelsea on the other hand - who had just ended a terrible relationship a few months prior - was more interested in the coffee she was drinking then the boy sitting across from her.

A week into Field Ornithology, Chelsea and Michael were randomly paired up by their Professor to collaborate on a research project together. Their assignment was to conduct a study on Red-Winged Blackbirds. Chelsea and Michael spent nearly every day out in the field, observing the territorial behavior of male red-winged blackbirds. It was during this time that they really got to know each other. They realized that they had almost everything in common, even their strange passion for birds. As the summer days flew by, their friendship continued to grow stronger and stronger. Michael eventually realized that he loved Chelsea, and when he finally told her one night, she smiled at him and said, "I love you too." On July 20th, 2013 Michael officially asked Chelsea to be his girlfriend. 

A few months into their relationship, Michael and Chelsea both knew that they had finally found "the one" in each other. Although they were both young, Michael knew that he wanted Chelsea to be his wife. (When you know, you know!) Nearly eight months after they met, Michael proposed to Chelsea while they celebrated Christmas together on December 20th, 2013. Of course, Chelsea said yes!