A chance meeting on Hinge - Cail grabbed my attention and a conversation about work, school & music soon followed. He asked for my number "in case he needs to reach out about booking graduation photos". Soon after, Cail asked me on a date. The first few times he asked, I made up excuses not to go (I was nervous.) But my best friend from Iowa State & bridesmaid Becca knew of him, and said he was "a good guy with good intentions." So, I agreed to a first date on March 22nd, 2025. He picked me up and we went to The Stuffed Olive in Downtown Des Moines. The first date lasted around 3.5 hours of sipping martinis and talking about everything under the sun! After the first few times of seeing each other, it just felt right. Cail graduated from Iowa State in May and moved back home to North Iowa. We spent the summer driving back and forth from Ankeny and Dougherty, 4th of July in Clear Lake, summer concerts, and days spent on the farm. I loved seeing Cail in his element and just following him around while he did chores. We started envisioning a life together. In September, Cail decided to start the OCIA process to learn more about the Catholic faith. I am so proud of the steps he has taken and how much he has grown in his faith. He was officially initiated into the church this past Easter. In November, we were finally tired of driving back and forth. I decided to move up to Clear Lake to be closer to Cail. Little did I know that Cail was planning our engagement for the next month. My family had planned a trip to Wisconsin over New Years to meet baby Sebastian, my new nephew and spend quality time together. I had no idea at this point that Cail had the ring. He knew that he wanted to propose when I was with the most special people in my life, my family. While in Wisconsin, Cail took me out on a date to The Stuffed Olive, a nod to the first night we met. Snow covering the ground, we walked out to a lit up bridge in downtown Madison across from the Captiol building. It was silent and no one was around but us. In that moment, he asked me to marry him and I got to see my beautiful ring that Cail had custom designed for me. We were both sobbing and it was the most special night of our lives. We got to celebrate with my whole family and were in complete bliss. After just 9 months since our first meeting, we were engaged! Cail is the man of my dreams, he makes me feel happier than I ever thought possible. I can't wait to marry him, and we are so excited to celebrate with all of our favorite people on November 7th. Thank you for supporting us and our journey <3