Corrie and Jake met in 2011 when they both worked at the Boys & Girls Club of Barren County in Rice Lake, Wisconsin: Jake wrangled kindergarteners and Corrie instructed the elementary arts & crafts. Though they worked together for a year, they didn't interact much -- but of course they were Facebook friends as all coworkers were in those days. After the summer of 2012, they both moved away from Rice Lake and pursued different jobs and adventures: Jake to the North Dakota oil fields then Texas for the army, and Corrie traveling planes, trains, and automobiles leading educational tours on the historic East Coast. Somewhere in there, their social media accounts synced, and they became mutual Instagram followers. Over the years they watched and chatted via insta about their many experiences and interests. Then 2020 rolled around. Corrie came back to Wisconsin in March to ride out the pandemic -- never to return to the east coast again. And Jake was stuck in Texas. The next few years, the LORD chiseled away at them -- using broken relationships, youtube channels, and apologetics to draw them closer to Himself all while preparing them for one another. Over the weird months of 2020etc their conversations become more regular and more deep. The Bible was at the core of their discussions, and their love of travel, the outdoors, and learning curious things also played a part in developing their friendship. On July 4, 2021 while Jake was in Texas and Corrie was on her way to the airport headed to Colorado for the summer, Jake simply declared that he admired Corrie and wished to take her on a date. To which she responded, "however and whenever that works, sure!" He interpreted it as a "no," but she meant it as a, "yes, if the time and place ever aligned." But they kept talking in the meantime. Fast forward to the fall of 2022. Corrie was working as the dorm supervisor at an international boarding school (Northland Scholars Academy) in NE Wisconsin, and Jake was out of the army. The time and place had finally aligned. Jake made his way across state from Chetek and took Corrie on (arguably) their first date on October 15 -- accompanied by 10 international HS students on a birthday outing. The coffee was delish, the conversation natural, and Jake was clearly interested ;) He stayed the weekend on campus, participating in all of Corrie's errands and activities -- he even met the parents at church on Sunday. Monday he left, and the kids wasted no time in blowing up the group discord chat with their speculations and hopes for Jake and Corrie. Shortly after Jake left, the two confirmed via text that they'd like to keep moving forward. Two weeks later, Corrie was in Jake’s neck of the woods for a camp retreat, so the two met for tacos, coffee, and hikes. Corrie also took the opportunity to introduce him to her camp friends so they could grill him and give their opinion. Thumbs up all around. On Jake's next visit to Northland a week later on November 5, the dating relationship was officially established. Every other week or so, Jake would make his way across state and his visits to Northland grew progressively longer. One week, Corrie sneaked away for a visit to Chetek to meet some of the Nicholsons as well. Christmas came and went with more family introductions and even more clarity that this relationship was going to last! They had many conversations about the future and plans and worked out the timeline as well -- with a wedding clearly on the near horizon. Early January, Jake returned to Northland with a plan: whisk Corrie off to Rib Mountain in Wausau, Wisconsin and put a ring on that finger! The plan was executed without incident. The day and spot couldn't have been more beautiful. And no surprise, she said YES! So now they're getting married: March 25th at Northland where it all began!