On November 18, 2022, JJ and Kathryn matched on a dating app called Upward. They texted for a few days and quickly found out they could've met a few years earlier when they were both invited to the same event, but Kat didn't go. JJ asked if they could move the conversation over to the phone, and then asked if Kat would like to meet up in person. They met in Williamsburg, IA on November 30 and before they knew it, three hours had flown by! They went on a few more dates and on December 17, 2022 JJ asked Kat to be his girlfriend. For the next year, they spent hours traveling back and forth between Marion, IA and Des Moines, IA figuring out long distance dating and getting to know each other and each other's friends and family. On December 17, 2023, their one year anniversary, JJ took Kat to a bridge in downtown Des Moines, got down on one knee and said "珊珊，你愿意嫁给我吗“ and Kat was surprised to hear her boyfriend ask "Kathryn, will you marry me?" in Chinese! Kat said "YES!!" (in English).