7 years later....

Like all great modern love stories, ours started on Hinge. David actually swiped on Kelsi while she was still living in Greencastle, but she wasn’t active on the app yet. A little later, after graduating college and moving back home to Windfall, Kelsi was missing her friends, feeling a bit down, and did what any reasonable person would do: started swiping on dating apps. That’s when she finally saw David’s message about her Nicolas Cage pillow (yes, really), and somehow that became the start of everything. They immediately hit it off and bonded over an alarming number of shared interests and life experiences, only to realize they lived two hours apart. Before meeting in person, they had their first FaceTime, which lasted four hours. David went to work the next day completely sleep deprived, and neither of them cared. Conversation was effortless, and for the first time, it just felt easy. Kelsi usually never made it out of the texting phase with anyone, but with David, she wanted to know more. Their first date was set for neutral territory: Bloomington, because Kelsi absolutely refused to go to Terre Haute to meet him. Knowing David was a big *NSYNC fan, she told him to wear an *NSYNC shirt and then surprised him by showing up in one too. He was instantly impressed and knew she was something special. Kelsi’s first impression? David appeared slightly shorter than expected, but she decided to keep him anyway. They spent the day walking around IU’s campus (a school neither of them attended) in the scorching summer sun, where David earned himself a solid sunburn. They grabbed some questionable Mexican food, then headed to Brown County State Park to watch the sunset, which was Kelsi’s idea. About halfway through the walk, she realized she was in the woods with a semi-stranger, which went directly against all of her true crime knowledge. Meanwhile, David was walking behind her casually checking his pockets for his phone, wallet, and keys, an unconscious habit that Kelsi found deeply suspicious. Naturally, she turned around and said, “Just so you know, I have a pocket knife on me,” and kept walking. Despite the light threat, the date continued. David even went on to meet some of Kelsi’s sorority sisters (shoutout Megan and Giselle) for a 21st birthday celebration later that night. He also got a speeding ticket on the drive home, making it a truly unforgettable first date. Somewhere between the four-hour FaceTime calls, long-distance drives, shared love of ghost shows, a cappella groups, Big Brother, and supporting each other through life’s ups and downs, it became obvious this was something different. Being together has always been easy. They’ve built a relationship centered on communication, support, shared obsessions, and the understanding that love isn’t always 50/50. Sometimes one person carries more, and that’s okay. Nearly seven years later, they’ve built a happy little family with their four cats: Milo, Bennie, Stormy, and Woodrow. All thanks to a dating app, a Nicolas Cage pillow, and one very long FaceTime call.

After six years together (and Kelsi being ready for a proposal for… several of those years), David finally popped the question in October 2025. David will tell you the timing was strategic. Over the years, Kelsi had an autoimmune rash and later braces, and she made it very clear she refused to get engaged during either phase. So naturally, David had to wait for the perfect window. He planned a little vacation and told Kelsi their first stop would be Garden of the Gods in Illinois. When they arrived, it was pouring down rain but somehow absolutely perfect. As they explored, David kept trying to climb on top of slippery rocks, which Kelsi found suspicious considering his long history of foot, ankle, and knee issues. Still, she rolled with it. They eventually stopped at a scenic overlook and started taking photos of each other with the gorgeous background. While Kelsi was turned around for a picture, David got down on one knee (a posture Kelsi had him practice for years). When she turned back around, he popped the question. Kelsi was completely shocked. She said yes, of course, and then immediately had to prompt David to actually put the ring on her finger. David then casually pulled out a tripod so they could have a full proposal photo shoot in the rain. As they started heading out of the park, the rain really picked up and David suddenly realized he had proposed at the second-best location instead of the exact spot he had originally planned. They quickly agreed it was perfectly on brand for them. Back at the car, David surprised Kelsi again with a 12-minute video he had created, summarizing their entire relationship and the proposal process. Kelsi loved it. They then spent the rest of the day calling family and friends to share the news, soaking in the moment, and celebrating the start of their next chapter together.