After some encouragement from a friend, Julie finally decided to download Facebook Dating. None of the other dating apps seemed to be working, and Julie had always set a strict 25-mile radius when looking for a match. What she didn't realize was that Facebook Dating apparently had other plans, because somehow it matched her with Cassie—who lived over 400 miles away in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. What started as a few messages quickly turned into longer texts, and before long, even longer phone calls. Julie planned their first date at a winery in New Glarus, but on the morning of the date, Cassie texted saying she was having car trouble and would need to cancel. Red flag, anyone? Julie was disappointed, and it took some convincing from friends to give Cassie another chance. Thankfully, she did. Cassie planned their rescheduled first date at Schuster's Pumpkin Farm on October 26, 2024. What was supposed to be a simple date turned into an entire day together—walking around the farm, playing games, riding the tractor, sipping fall-themed drinks, and getting to know one another. By the end of the day, neither of us wanted it to end. The months that followed required plenty of dedication. We spent countless hours on FaceTime every night, making the distance between Wisconsin and Iowa feel a little smaller. Weekends were spent driving back and forth between Thiensville and Cedar Rapids, squeezing every possible minute together into a few short days before doing it all over again the next week. Eventually, all those miles paid off. Cassie made the move to Thiensville, and we began building our life together in Wisconsin. Since then, we've started putting down roots with our two cats, our dog, and a home filled with love, laughter, and more adventures than we ever imagined when we first matched online. Exactly one year after our first date, on October 25, 2025, Cassie proposed at Schuster's Pumpkin Farm—the very place where our story truly began. We are so excited for this next chapter and cannot wait to celebrate with our family and friends on September 13, 2026.