Come celebrate with us in chattanooga!

During Cassie's 3rd year of veterinary school, she decided to give Tinder a try. How bad could it be? Many swipes later, she finally swiped right on a guy who described himself as someone whose "feet hang off the bed" and was a "ping-pong enthusiast." Brian and Cassie's first date took place at Seven Saints in Champaign, IL where Cassie talked his ears off being the nervous wreck she was. Seriously.. he barely got two sentences in. To her surprise, Brian wasn't sick of hearing her voice and decided she was cool enough to continue asking her out on dates. Soon they discovered there would be no future without one another.

Cassie and her sister, Sydney, decided to visit the Nashville Zoo when Sydney came to visit. As they were leaving the park, they decided to take a photo in front of the big sign just outside of the front entrance (#instaphoto). A man approached them and asked if they would like him to take the photo. After the photo was taken, the man introduced himself as the director of the zoo and offered them behind-the-scenes tours the next time they visited. Brian saw this as prime opportunity. He secretly planned a very unique behind the scenes tour with the director. On the day of the tour, Cassie and Brian saw the Giraffes and even got to feed them snacks. They learned that anteaters are highly susceptible to COVID-19 and saw the areas of the zoo not many people get to experience. Then came the Okapi, a strange giraffe/zebra looking animal (look it up, you'll see). A.k.a Cassie's favorite animal. Knowing this was a big deal for Cassie, she didn't suspect a thing when Brian asked one worker to videotape the encounter and asked the director to take photos. As Quasi the okapi began to enjoy his lettuce treat, Brian surprised Cassie by getting down on one knee and asking her the one question she was dying to hear. They spent the rest of the day enjoying the zoo and even got to see the blooming of the zoo's Corpse Flower, which only blooms for 24-48 hours once every 7-10 years. That's how you know the day was extra special! When they came home from the trip, Cassie was surprised with champagne and a rose petal-decorated home. Brian had asked her coworker, Sarah, to sneak into the house and help out with the proposal. Nothing could have made the day more perfect.

After Cassie graduated veterinary school and Brian completed his Master's program, they decided that it was the perfect time to move and start a new life (even in the midst of a pandemic). They were ready to move out of Illinois and somewhere south with Chattanooga, TN calling their names. Cassie found a job to start her career as a veterinarian at a general practice and Brian found an interim position as a PE teacher and was then hired by the same school as a teacher's assistant. Since then, they have not only gotten engaged, but adopted a dog, explored the Smoky Mountains, and made new friends in the area. Brian has now accepted a full time position as a PE teacher at an elementary school just outside of Chattanooga. As they continue to become more familiar with their new home, they realize they couldn't be happier with where they chose to live.