We're getting married!

In August of 2015, Rodney and Dawn passed one another on the Alcan Highway in Canada. Dawn was moving away from Alaska, where she'd spent the last five years. Rodney was moving to Alaska, where he'd spend the next three years. If they ever made eye contact, neither of them remember it. They didn't know it at the time, but five years later they'd both be living in Quincy, Illinois. Rodney and Dawn met in 2020, and by pure luck, struck a conversation about the state of Alaska. Upon realizing they'd both lived there, and hoped to someday move back, they decided they needed to go on a date. Well... Rodney decided they needed to go on a date. Dawn was a single mom at the time, and wasn't keen on inviting potential heartbreak into her life. Hesitantly, she agreed, and they met at Siloam Springs State Park where they cooked together over a campfire and spent the evening talking and getting to know one another. Rodney wasted no time asking Dawn if she wanted more kids, would ever consider getting married, and to share her exact budget and financial plans for the future. For the record, Dawn did want more kids, she would only marry someone she knew would stick around with her daughter and her for the rest of their lives, her budget was a mess, and her financial plans were detailed but probably a bit too optimistic. Rodney wanted kids, wanted marriage, had a super strict budget, and he was willing to work on matching Dawn's long term financial plan to his. Luckily, Dawn impressed Rodney with her brilliant fire building skills (which distracted him from her budgeting skills), and he went home to tell his sisters and mother that he really liked this one. In fact, he liked her so much that he'd bring her to meet everyone (cousins, aunts, siblings, nieces, nephews, and mother) for their next date. Many weeks later, two-year-old Charlotte (Dawn's daughter) was introduced to the picture. A little over a year after that, Charlotte started calling Rodney "daddy". At that point a ring wasn't necessary, as Dawn and Charlotte had already decided Rodney was going to be their forever. Rodney had decided the same and proposed on April 10th 2022 with his grandmother's wedding ring. On October 8th 2022, they'll make the move to officially become a family.