How We Met Jacob and I are both born and raised in Ankeny, Iowa. We never crossed close paths as we went to opposite schools. I graduated from Iowa State and moved to Kansas City in 2019. Jacob joined the National Guard and deployed to Qatar in 2020. It wasn’t until April of 2022 when Jacob messaged me on Instagram after I shared a post about a car. We immediately connected on our love for showing cars with our dads, how much we love western music, and the relationships we have with our families. Our First Date We got to know so much about each other before even going on our first date! I came home for a weekend and Jacob picked me up in his big ole Duramax with flowers and a Weitz t-shirt. We got tacos, but talked the whole time and we barely touched the queso on the table! I took Jacob to our family shed and got to show him my favorite car, the red Packard. It was so special showing him the place where he would later propose to me! We went to ice cream and saw the bison at Jester Park the day after. He bought me popsicle earrings from a young girl selling them at the ice cream shop. I didn't have the heart to tell him my ears weren't pierced, but I immediately saw how caring Jacob is. After that first and second date, we both knew that we had something special, and continued getting to know each other all summer! Growing Together In August of 2022, Jacob asked me to be his girlfriend! We quickly knew that we were building our relationship for the long haul, and Jacob would always say, “one of these days” when we talked about our future. We quickly knew that we wanted to marry each other one day! Jacob and I did the long distance thing for about 6 months, then I moved back to Ankeny after becoming an aunt, and to be closer to him. We grew so much in our relationship and learned more about each other every single day, dreaming of building a home, raising a family, and raising chickens too! We've grown so close with each other’s families and see them as our own! Jacob has the sweetest relationship with Madi, our niece. Jacob also got to meet our newest niece, Olivia, just 2 days before he deployed this past May. I send him photos of the girls while he is deployed because they are changing and growing every single day! Madi loves her Uncle Jake, and he sent her the sweetest bear with a cast after she broke her arm this past summer. The Proposal We always knew that Jacob’s deployment was a possibility, and 3 days before Jacob left, he proposed to me at our family shed where I took him after our first date. He asked for help moving a giant, heavy fishing sled, and I almost broke a nail unloading that thing from his truck! He completely caught me off guard (yes, I was in track shorts and a t-shirt) when he got down on one knee in front of my favorite car, the red Packard. But I did have my nails done! There was nobody else there but us, intimate and laid back. I love how we got to have that moment to ourselves, I will cherish that day forever! Happily Ever After Jacob left on May 28th, 2025 to serve our country for a year long deployment. He has the most passion, the most determination, and so much knowledge to serve a role that he has been preparing for years. We are planning our wedding from thousands of miles apart, but we are growing in our relationship in our own way, learning how to communicate differently and encouraging each other from afar. Through this deployment, we are so thankful that our love is continuing to grow, and we are continuing to dream of building our future. Jacob always says that we “build each other.” We are building each other this year, and we will continue to build each other for the rest of our lives as we build our home, build a family, and encourage each other every single day. We are so excited for the future that is in store for us, and we continue to praise God for bringing us together and blessing our relationship day by day!