By Micah Friez
Published 7:00 am on February 14, 2025
The arrival of Valentine’s Day brings on an annual tradition in the Siira household.
They’ll be celebrating… tomorrow.
“Well, I was too scared to ask her out on Valentine’s Day. I didn’t want to be cliché,” Matthew Siira admitted. “So I asked her out the day after.”
Karmen (Toms) Siira, his college sweetheart and wife of four years, denied the stereotypic allegations and claimed a Cupid-themed courtship would have been romantic. So now, she instead opts for another February tradition of lighthearted teasing, which has taken place “almost every year for seven years since,” she said.
“I feel like our anniversary is more important,” Matthew said. “Karmen’s not jealous, but she always notices that I tend to not celebrate Valentine’s Day because our anniversary is the day after.”
Nevertheless, the Valentine’s Day season is special for the two Bemidji State University graduates. They met and fell in love at BSU around this time of year. And, perhaps most importantly, that timeline coincided with the personal growth necessary to keep a valentine for the rest of their lives.
“I’m very grateful because I feel like I was able to find myself in college. And only then was I ready for marriage,” Karmen said. “Anytime before that, I wouldn’t have been prepared to be a wife. We took steps before meeting each other, and then we were able to grow together.”
The love story
The former Tamarack Hall residents met in the dorms and started dating shortly thereafter (but no sooner than Feb. 15, remember) before marrying in 2020, the summer after their graduation. Matthew’s best man was a freshman year floor-mate at Bemidji State, while Karmen’s maid of honor was her childhood best friend who also became her freshman roommate at BSU.
When Matthew and Karmen met in 2018, both served as residential advisors in Tamarack — Karmen on the second floor and Matthew on the 10th. The timing was perfect for each of them, but it felt particularly so for Karmen.
“I was asking God for my future husband, and Matthew showed up that next week,” she said. “I noticed him out of everybody.”
The two began spending extra time with each other. They hung out in their dorm rooms, listening to music and cooking nightly dinners. They had near-daily “dates” by going to the Lakeside Food Court together. There was mutual attraction, and soon things needed to become official.
“I liked that she was outgoing, and it was easy for her to get to know people,” Matthew said. “She was very personable. And then me, the awkward person that I was and still am, I was attracted to that.”
So a day after Valentine’s Day, the two embarked on a walk to the downtown Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox statues. Matthew prepared a note for Karmen, which spoke of his appreciation for her — but he accidentally omitted one key word: girlfriend. Only after they returned inside Tamarack Hall did he clarify that, yes, he was indeed asking her out.
Karmen, of course, said yes. And they’ve been together ever since.
The Siiras have settled in Bemidji post-college, with Matthew currently working as a staff accountant at Miller McDonald and Karmen as a school social worker at Cass Lake-Bena Elementary. And this Valentine’s Day, they’ve got even more love in their hearts because of the birth of their firstborn son, Benjamin. Now six months old, Benjamin looks at his parents with the big blue eyes that Karmen had dreamed about around the same time she first met Matthew.
“Benjamin is a part of both of us, and I love that,” Karmen said. “I look at him, and he just brings me joy.”
“It’s so fun to watch him learn new skills,” Matthew added. “Whether it’s sitting up or standing or blowing raspberries — just watching him grow and learn new things is special to see.”
Benjamin is well loved by his parents but also by many family friends. The Siiras have built a strong community in Bemidji, which includes deep friendships first formed at BSU.
“They’re essentially family,” Matthew said. “We have our family now, and we’ve built a second family with the people we’ve met here.”
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