Cole and Katie met in the 8th grade at Trinity in Dickinson, ND. Cole had just moved to Dickinson and was the "new kid" at school. Katie, being the spunky gal she is, greeted him very obnoxiously. Cole did not like Katie, Katie did not like Cole. Not your typical beginning to a love story.... Katie was a little preoccupied for the next 4 years and didn't pay much attention to Cole...until senior year! Over the course of senior year they became really close friends. Well, Katie wanted to just be friends, but Cole had other plans. Cole asked Katie out a grand total of 12 times over the course of seven months. He received eleven "NO's" and one "sure." They officially started dating a week before high school graduation (also, one week before the Dockters moved to Bismarck). Since Cole went to NDSU and Katie went to CSB/SJU, they've been doing long-distance for the past 4 years. They are so ready to tie the knot and no longer live in different towns!

Since Katie is the hardest person to surprise, Cole knew he had to pull out all the stops. Three months prior, he learned that his Engineers Without Borders trip was postponed. This trip previously prevented him from joining the Dockter family on their annual Christmas break trip to their home in Mesa, AZ. He secretly booked a flight to Mesa and continued planning. This whole time Katie, along with Cole's entire family, thought he was still going to Guatemala for his service trip. The day of the proposal, Katie thought she was going to a family dinner at her cousin Michelle's house. When she arrived, Michelle asked if she wanted to go see the family of javelina that usually congregate on the golf course behind her house. Since she has a love for cute little things, Katie obviously said yes. On her way back there she saw a family friend taking pictures of what she thought was baby javelina (they were just stuffed animals). This whole time, Cole was anxiously hiding behind the hill. When he finally came out of hiding, Katie was so shocked she just froze. She finally came to her senses and ran over to him. He asked. She said yes. Sip sip hooray! p.s.- The first thing Katie said to Cole (other than YES) was "Aren't you supposed to be in Guatemala?!"