It all started with a “wave.” When we look back over our journey together, there are so many coincidental things connecting us that we finally realized that there were far too many to be coincidences. We’ve been tied together by an invisible thread and looking for one another our whole lives, even though we didn’t know it until December 2023. After a conversation with a close friend and her own epiphany that she didn’t want to be “just Katie” anymore, Katie decided on Thanksgiving 2023 that she was going to put herself out there. For her, to start with anyway, that meant making a Facebook dating profile. Meanwhile in Iowa, Cassie was thinking the same thing. She was sick of being alone, and although she had tried online dating here and there, it always ended with frustration. Probably because, up to that point, she was only talking to men. In early December, after yet another disappointing and, honestly, kind of disgusting few days of talking to a guy from Nebraska, she finally decided to add “Women” to the “Interested In” box. Right away, a girl named Katie popped up. Although she caught Cassie’s eye for a while, Cassie didn’t make a move because she NEVER made the first move on these dating sites. But after over a week of scrolling by Katie’s face each night, something (she still cannot, to this day, tell you what) possessed her to “wave.” And after that, it was (quick) history. We immediately hit it off and exchanged numbers a few days later. Then came last names, Facebook profiles, and photos, which led to four-hour phone conversations each night and FaceTimes. Poor Katie was so sleep-deprived during that time, but it was worth it. We originally planned to meet up halfway in Clear Lake, IA, but after hours and hours of phone conversations, we decided we didn’t want to be stuck on either side of a table in a restaurant. So Cassie drove up to Waterville, MN (to her dad’s chagrin–”Does she even live in a house, it looks like it’s just woods?!”) and we spent eight straight hours on the couch talking and talking and talking. That day, January 2nd, 2024, we made it official and, although we had known for a while, we said, “I love you” for the first time. When Cassie got home, she told her parents, “She’s it. She’s the one.” Since that first day, the longest we have been apart is 7 days. At first, Cassie made trips to Minnesota almost every weekend, or Katie came down to Iowa. After spending our whole lives looking for one another, we didn’t want to be apart any longer. So, in true “lesbian U-Haul fashion,” Cassie unofficially moved up to Minnesota in February, even though all her stuff wouldn’t follow until that summer. Cassie’s dog, Rocky, and Katie’s dog, Melvin, became fast friends and are now step-brothers who happily tear through the house playing, biting tails, barking, knocking over anything in their way, and jealously vying for their moms’ attention. Throughout our journey, Katie’s always been the confident and brave one. She bought Cassie’s engagement ring early on and proposed to her in St. Louis on their spring break vacation in March 2023. It was a perfect full-circle moment for anyone who knows Cassie’s history in St. Louis. Katie knew that Cassie didn’t want a public proposal, so she did it perfectly…at “home” in their Airbnb. The proposal story is beautiful and perfect, and also a little funny (If you want to hear the story, just ask us about it, we love telling it!) Cassie then proposed to Katie in early May. After months of planning, she transformed their upstairs attic into a twinkle-light paradise that used pictures and storytelling to trace their love story from the beginning. We are enjoying the present and trying to live in the moment as much as possible (although Katie is much better at that). However, we are so excited to celebrate our love with everyone in November.