Her Story
Katrina, now 23, was born in Santa Clara, California & has been on the go ever since. In between bickering with her younger sister, Rachel, and being a normal kid, she found a love for swimming that would stay with her for many years.
After graduating from Bexley High School, she moved to Pennsylvania to attend Edinboro University & continue her swimming career. There, she earned a Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice, as well as a couple swimming records for the Fighting Scots. She is now pursuing a Masters of Social Science in International Human Rights Law at Åbo Akademi in Turku, Finland, which she hopes will provide her the opportunity to make a difference in the human rights field.
Katrina is currently working as a Junior Associate at Alder & Sound Oy. While Petteri is slaving away in the kitchen, she enjoys sleeping in & beautifying their home with her crafting projects.
Our Story
His Story
Petteri, now 25, was born & raised in his hometown of Helsinki, Finland. His childhood revolved around sports, especially floorball where he advanced to play professional in the Finnish National League and win silver in the U19 World Championships.
After graduating from Mäkelänrinne Sports High, he served for a year in the army, specializing in intelligence operations behind the enemy lines and returning home with the rank of a second liutenant.
After the army, he was accepted to the Aalto University, School of Business, where he is currently finishing his Masters Degree in Business, with major in Business Law and minor in Finance.
Petteri is currently working as an Associate at Alder & Sound Oy, one of the leading international tax consulting firms in Finland. On his spare time he hits the gym, runs marathons and makes magic happen in the kitchen.
How they
met
How he
proposed
On September 5, 2010, they met at an International student meet-and-greet barbecue while studying abroad at Bond University in Gold Coast, Australia. The best part about this story is that they still continue to disagree on how they met. She remembers meeting him at this barbecue where they talked and later exchanged contact info, while he claims they actually got to talking & exchanging details at a local bar off-campus called CBD. To this day, they still argue about it. Regardless - it was still fate that brought them together.
After that first night, she definitely knew that that would not be the last of him. And it definitely wasn't - throughout the semester, they made some of the best memories that they have from that entire trip. Through the crazy on & off relationship, Katrina & Petteri grew incredibly close & strengthened their friendship, one that they knew would last even after they both went their separate ways at the end of the semester. But somehow, against all odds, they both fell even more for each other. A boat trip to Whitsunday's Islands sealed that and to this day, they both say that that was when they fell in love. The endless nights talking under the stars, dancing in the torrential downpours, snorkeling in the Great Barrier Reef, drinking and laughing til sunrise... it was the highlight of the entire trip.
Naturally, the four months flew by and before they knew it, they had to say good-bye, knowing there was a strong possibility they would never seeing each other again.
But, thankfully, that was not the case. She knew when he got back in touch with her immediately after arriving back in Finland that he felt the same way and actually wanted to try & make it work long-distance. They knew it wasn't going to be easy, but if it was meant to be it was meant to be. And it definitely was.
Over the next year and a half, they Skyped almost daily and texted til the early hours of every morning - the seven hour time difference was by no means an easy obstacle to deal with. Thankfully, because of technology, they were able to survive the three or four months between visits. But, even though they only saw each other four times during that period, they're sure they wouldn't be where they are today if they hadn't gone through the tough stuff. They became best friends first, and all the other 'relationship' stuff was just the cherry on top.
Their love story proves that you can't go looking for love - love finds you, especially when you least expect it!
When they were finally able to start planning her move to Finland, there came the long and difficult process of getting residency. She first tried applying for a work permit in April 2012 that they thought had a good chance of passing. It probably would have been a smart idea to wait until a decision was made before moving to Finland, but she was so ready to start their life together that she was a bit impulsive & moved in mid-June 2012. Not even two weeks after arriving in Finland, Petteri received the decision regarding the work permit (though she didn't know it at the time).
That day, June 29, 2012, Katrina was out getting lost in the city trying to find postcards to send home to friends and family in the US. She had been texting him all afternoon asking if he had gotten a decision or had heard anything - yet all she was getting was radio silence. Finally, around 2pm, he sends her a text asking her to meet him by the steps of the Main Cathedral in downtown. Having no idea what was going on, she indulged him and don't ask questions.
When she got there, dressed in workout clothes next to his suit & tie, he reveals the envelope containing the decision. Before she even opened it, she can see from his face it was a negative decision. Her heart stopped and immediately broke into uncontrollable sobs. As they were standing there at the top of the steps on this gorgeous summer day, he starts explaining what had happened over the past couple months in regard to the decision and continues explaining how this isn't the end of the world - that they'll make it through this.
He then shifts gears and goes on about how he won't let the government dictate who he can love and who he wants to spend the rest of his life with - AND HE GETS DOWN ON ONE KNEE! Again, her heart stopped and immediately start laughing because of the ring he's holding: an adorable turquoise plastic ring all blinged out with fake diamonds that looked like it came from the kid's section of a department store - which it totally did. He explained that he didn't have time to go and get a real one, as all of this had happened over the last few hours and he wanted her to pick out the perfect ring. She still doesn't know why he was so nervous, because they had been talking about getting engaged for a while now, but in the end, it was the perfect proposal.
Even though their whole plan had been rushed and pushed up, they were finally starting their life together and were beyond excited. Best day ever.