Like every great love story, ours began in culinary school. Dakota, a second-year pro, actually knew what he was doing; Jill, a first-year rookie, was just trying not to chop her fingers off. We barely talked at first, but fate (and assigned seating) put us at the same table for our restaurant management class. Dakota became the manager, Jill the server, and there may or may not have been mild flirting amid the chaos. After graduation we both ended up working at The Old Dutch. Eventually, life happened, Jill got a new job and we lost touch for a bit… and then, one night, a group of Jill’s friends ended up back at the restaurant for dinner and to see Dakota. He stopped by to say hi, told a strange story about an old friend, and somehow that bizarre icebreaker turned into hours of talking — and soon, daily conversations. (Moral of the story: weird jokes really do work sometimes.) By November 2024, we moved in together, introducing Smokey, Dakota’s cat, to Skye and Scout, Jill’s cats. Adjusting to three cats in one apartment meant many "Who knocked this over?" moments. Then, in August, Dakota made Jill’s favorite place even more magical — he proposed right in front of her favorite ride at Walt Disney World, The Haunted Mansion! There were happy tears, lots of cheering, and maybe a few confused tourists wondering why everyone was crying in front of a spooky house full of ghosts. Now, our days are filled with love, laughter, Jill scaring Dakota during gaming, and cats who (rightfully) think they own the place. ❤️