We became friends in 2010 in 10th grade when we both joined Knowledge Bowl (extracurricular team quiz competition). Levi immediately had feelings for Cassidy, but Cassidy was oblivious and/or in denial for the next. two. years. In spite of sitting next to each other in Knowledge Bowl, being in concert band and jazz band together, having classes together nearly every semester, going to prom together, and basically being besties our senior year, we didn't start dating until a month after high school graduation in 2013.

Shortly after we started dating, Cassidy left for Ohio and Case Western Reserve University, while Levi headed to the University of Minnesota--Twin Cities. Our first years of college were tough, but we got through it together with daily good morning/good night texts and countless hours of FaceTime. Cassidy made a point of coming back to Minnesota each summer and we spent as much time together as possible when we were home on school breaks. In the spring of freshman year, we also founded our two-person book club, starting off with Lord of the Rings. Since then we've also read Lonesome Dove, War and Peace, and a variety of shorter novels.

After spending four years in a long-distance relationship, the test of how much time we could comfortably spend together came after college graduation in 2017 when we embarked on Cassidy and Levi's Great Western Adventure. This month-long road trip in a Ford Focus covered 6500 miles and brought us through 14 states, 10 national parks, and four major West Coast cities. Despite spending most nights in a tent, we never got sick of each other. That fall, we moved into an apartment together in Uptown Minneapolis, along with Cassidy's childhood cat, Mr. Burns.

In May 2018, we took a trip to Quebec City, and at the summit of a hike in Jacques Cartier National Park, Levi pulled out a ring and asked that very important question. Cassidy of course said yes! (And finally understood why Levi had been so worried about going through customs) Wedding planning got off to a rocky start, as Cassidy in particular was uncomfortable with all the pomp and circumstance and being the center of attention. After several attempted compromises, we finally decided in December that we would elope. We both breathed a sigh of relief, wedding planning suddenly became exciting, and we knew we had made the right decision. On Thursday, January 17, 2019, we were married at Semple Mansion in Minneapolis in front of our close friends (and members of our wedding party) Olivia, Joey, Rachel, and David. After a fine lunch filled with champagne and a giant piece of carrot cake, we headed to the North Shore for our "mini-moon". The temperature barely got above 0 degrees that weekend, but we had a great time hiking, dog sledding, visiting a brewery, and being married.

Getting married didn't immediately change much in our day-to-day lives, but it felt nice to refer to each other as husband and wife. Then about three weeks in, on February 10, Levi was in a snowmobiling accident and broke his right femur and left humerus. After surgery on his leg and two weeks in the hospital and a rehab facility, Levi came home and has been hanging out on the couch ever since. Levi is in good spirits and healing well, but it has been a difficult experience for us both. Nothing like putting that "in sickness and in health" vow to the test right away. We do expect Levi will be up and walking by May 25 and will eventually make a full recovery. We are planning to honeymoon in France--Paris, Lyon, and Bordeaux.