Let’s Celebrate!

Sometimes love begins in the most unexpected places — like a simple shift trade at work. Last year, Cade became my manager, and I was his assistant manager. At the time I was busy traveling, going on girls trips, and spending weekends with my loud, loving family. I never expected anything more than a normal work relationship. It would be against work policy to date anyway… But Cade later told me that from the very first day, he felt something different. Every time I talked about my family trips or our get-togethers, he found himself wanting to be part of those memories too. One day, I asked Cade to switch shifts so I could make it to a girls trip at the coast. He agreed — but with one funny condition: if I picked him up from the golf course the weekend before, the shift was mine. I said yes, not realizing that moment would change everything. When I picked him up from the Woodburn golf course and drove him back to Portland, we spent the entire car ride laughing, singing, and talking like we’d known each other forever. Something clicked effortlessly. I dropped him off, pretending it was all casual… but the whole rest of the night, I found myself texting him and wishing I was still with him. The following weekend on my girls trip, Cade FaceTimed me. He admitted — in his cute, indirect way — that he liked me. The next day, he asked me on a date. I panicked, called my mom over from the isle next to me at the grocery store for moral support, and she convinced me to go. Our first date was after one of our shifts, at The Masonry in Salem. The food was terrible — but the night was perfect. We talked for hours about our lives, our families, and everything in between. Something just felt right. For the next few months, we kept our relationship a secret from work. After every shift, we’d meet in an alleyway and talk until almost midnight. Cade would still have an hour-long drive home, but we didn’t care — those late-night conversations were the beginning of everything for us. Eventually, a position opened in another department, and I applied so we could finally be open about our relationship. When I got the job, we told the company and officially signed what they call a “love contract.” After that, we were free to share our relationship with the world — and we haven’t stopped smiling since. Even though it’s been less than a year, we both knew early on that this wasn’t just dating… this was it. When you know, you know — and we knew. We’re so excited to celebrate the next chapter of our story with you. 💛✨