Julia was born and raised in Hancock, where she attended Houghton Schools before moving on to Michigan Tech. At Tech, she studied Medical Laboratory Science and Secondary Education, earning her teaching certificate. Julia recently finished her Masters in Education with a focus on Learning Disabilities through NMU. (Don't ask her if undergrad at Tech or graduate at NMU was easier, it is a sore subject.) She is wrapping up her fifth year teaching, and is currently working with elementary special education students.
Julia has been a member of Mont Ripley Ski Patrol for 12 years, and was recently awarded a National Appointment. In her spare time, Julia enjoys cooking, hiking in the Keweenaw, and hanging with her cats Leonard and Raymond.
Alex's favorite parts of Julia include her radiant smile, witty commentary, and ample sharp humor.
Alex was born downstate, but as a very small sapling he was transplanted to L'Anse by his mother Beth. He went to high school in L'Anse, where he graduated valedictorian in 2008. Alex spent several years working various IT and software development jobs, rebuilding cars, and taking classes, eventually receiving "a few pieces of paper" from Michigan Tech, as he says. He worked in the automotive industry on power steering modeling and control from 2015-2018, staring intently at computer screens and out car and office windows. Alex always knew which way he was going on the weekends (north!), and was able to find work at an engineering company in the Keweenaw in 2019. Alex recently started a consulting business, Lake Superior Algorithmic Solutions.
Julia's favorite parts about Alex are his handling of customer service representatives, and his vast vocabulary.
Somehow, Julia and Alex never encountered each other, despite being at the same events several times (Fat Tire Festival, anyone?). Eventually, Alex reached out to Julia through a mutual friend. Together, Julia and Alex enjoy mountain biking, rock picking, skiing, and binging documentaries on Netflix. Julia still needs to learn to enjoy Lake Superior dinghy rides, but she is waiting until Alex's "yacht" at least has a cup holder (Alex note: will be installed summer 2022). Alex has some catching up to do on rock picking: Julia has a keen eye for agates and routinely outpicks him.
Reception
We are getting married in a private ceremony in the Keweenaw. We will hold our reception at Northwinds Adventures just outside of Houghton.
| Date | August 20, 2022 |
|---|---|
| Time | 2pm – late |
| Location | Northwinds Adventures 14603 Love Lake Rd Atlantic Mine, MI 49905 |
Parking will be available on site.
Food and Drink
We are providing food and beverages for all eaters and drinkers.
- Taco bar starting at 5pm
- Celebratory cake
- Enough alcohol to drown an elephant
If you're worried that we don't have you covered for food, just reach out!
Activities
We are going to have outdoor games, some kind of flat surface fit for dance shoes, and a campfire to make gooey s'mores. The venue has a lake, with boats and kayaks available for use. Prepare to have a fun-in-the-sun mingling, ladder-ball-tossing, heel-twisting good time well into the night, but note that the venue is grass-floored! (So leave the heeled shoes at home.)
Accommodations
Please let us know if you're interested in staying at the venue. On-site cabins are available to book at Northwinds Adventures. There will also be camping available and a "village" of canvas tents with hostel-style beds.
Unfortunately, we scheduled our wedding during move-in weekend. If you need help finding accomodations, reach out to us via email at wedding@hirzel.us or text Alex at 906-231-0866 and we will help you. We do not have a block of local hotels reserved, however several options are available within 15 minutes:
- Holiday Inn Express (close to Econo)
- Country Inn and Suites (dog-friendly, close to Walmart)
- Quality Inn and Suites (downtown Houghton)
- Hancock Campground (Hancock)
RSVP
Please use this Google form to RSVP and to help us plan our food:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1ZcR-aJSYr8AzUYlBNVP4Y29zMiowFAIVGXhN9zQyBlM/viewform
Registry
We will not have a gift registry. We feel satisfied with our posessions. Each having had our own homes, we are getting rid of more than we're taking in.
Thank you
Whether or not you can make it, we appreciate your support in our lives. If you're not able to make it, we will celebrate with you somehow next time we see you!
