Her Story: Online dating was ...interesting and exhausting. I was almost ready to give up when I came across Jesse's profile, noting his seemingly genuine smile. I honestly don't remember who reached out first, but I will never forget how he fondly he spoke about his family and pup. There was a giant red flag though...in the shape of an OSU BUCKEYE! He offered to drive up to Milwaukee to meet. As a very dedicated introvert, I hated these first initial meetings however I picked one of my favorite places, Parkside 23 for drinks and maybe dinner. It was late May and construction season was in full swing, so Jesse (driving all the way from Libertyville, IL) was running late. I distinctly remember telling him not to worry; that was there with a drink and he could find me by looking for the girl with a giant "W" on her forehead. It won't surprise those who know Jesse that the conversation was easy and that first date lasted for 3+ hours. I remember talking about our families and our dogs for a long time, and of course we talked about Big Ten sports a bit. I remember being surprised by his order - a caprese flatbread style naan pizza. Most of all, I remember thinking how adorable it was that he was a little shy and how warm his smile was. His Story: Our first date was at Parkside 23 and my main impression actually happened after the date when due to construction that I know Jessica obviously had set up I could not seem to find my way out of Milwaukee as I was going in circles. I said this was obviously set up by Jessica because she found me so HOT and so amazing to talk with and be with she did not want me to leave Milwaukee that evening. The date itself was very nice. First impression was Jessica was easy to talk to and into sports (although she liked the Badgers and not the Buckeyes but at least it wasn't that team up north). Being into sports was important to me because it is often my favorite subject of conversation.

Her Story: After a few weeks, Jesse invited me to Music & Munch, a fundraising musical festival hosted by his parents at their home for many (and I mean, LOTS) of their friends and family. I'm always nervous when meeting new people for the first time, especially if I know they're of significance. So not only was I going to meet his parents, but his sister and her family along with any of their friends that decided to attend. Talk about kicking my social anxiety into high gear. it was the HOTTEST day (high 90s and 90%+ humidity) and my hair doubled in size the minute I stepped out of the house. Everyone was running around getting things ready for the event, which was set to be about 8 hours of live music performed by some of IL's finest. I remember being incredibly worried that slicing a tomato wrong could affect their first impression of me. His mom and his sister were beautiful and had these cute dresses on, his dad was always ready with a smile and a hug, and his nephews and his niece were exceptionally cute. You could tell right away that he had special relationships with all of them. At some point I relaxed a bit and had a wonderful time. Everyone was so kind and welcoming, and any afternoon I get to spend with live music, a cute guy, and a sweet pup is a pretty amazing day. His Story: First time meeting her and her meeting my family both were not a very big deal to me. First time introducing her to my parents was easy for me because I love introducing new people to my parents, especially a woman who has actually taken an interest in me and frankly was obviously treating me better than my ex. First time meeting her parents my mind was put at ease well before meeting them by Jessica who let me know how easygoing her parents were. Her dad could possibly look intimidating, but just like my dad, underneath he is an old softie and it was easy to see this from the beginning.

Her story: I think for us it is more so about the significant actions versus that one moment. Having both come out of significant relationships with some battle scars, I think it's safe to say that we both approached this with caution, however I quickly learned that he really was as wonderful as everyone said. I don't know if it's his laid back nature or his endless patience, but it's never felt like it was difficult. I think we balance and complement one another in very real ways, and as corny as it sounds we've been able to face some really tough situations by supporting one another through them. We choose one another every day and doing so matters immensely. His story: I am not big into there being this one moment when I just knew. I am into the little moments that add up to the big decision. Examples include but are definitely not even remotely limited to: 1) Jessica is the biggest dog person I've ever met. She adored Kinzie and loved my dog Brie immediately. I never thought there could be more of a dog person than me until I met her. 2) While we were long distance Jessica would sometimes drive the hour+ after work to join my friends and I for trivia night. She quickly incorporated herself with my friends and made an effort to get to know them 3) After we moved in together, she supported my desire to continue playing poker on Friday nights back in IL and she has continued to be supportive in my poker adventures even after moving to Madison and having Ava. 4) After we had been dating for a few months, I wanted to tell Jessica about previous my marriage and everything that happened. She is really the only other person who knows the full story. She was incredibly understanding and supportive of everything I told her. 5) Jessica is all about family, hers and mine, She knows how important everyone is to me and always trying to come up with times we can travel to visit. All of this and so much more help contribute to me knowing she is the one.

Her Story: I'll never forget when I found out I was pregnant. It was the day of the Ed Sheeran concert and two hours after I got the news my entire family was coming into town for the next 4 days. As anyone would be, I was nervous to tell Jesse, not that I wondered what he would want, but I wasn't sure how he would react. I gave him a small box with a blueberry, which was the approximate size of the little lady at the time and wrote him a little something. He was just as excited and terrified as I was, but it was okay because we were going to do this together. After 37 hours Ava Charlotte made her debut and the world will never be the same. We went through all of the normal stressors of having a new baby....no sleep, endless crying, running out of caffeine, etc. she was worth every last moment of it all. She looked like her father when she was born...spitting image of him all the way down to his hairline. =) She had my blue eyes though and I hoped she would keep them, as they were the only way anyone would've believe she was mine. She has, and there's a hint of that Kasmerchak smile in there too now. She was the best surprise we never knew we needed. I have loved watching Jesse evolve from a terrified new father into the well balanced dad he's become. He's already becoming a wonderful girl dad. Next on the list - learning to braid and how to keep track of bobby pins and hair ties.... His story: What can I say about Ava? Becoming a first time father is a truly amazing, surreal moment. She has brought so much joy to our lives that I was clearly unprepared for on that day and couldn't have expected, but am continually amazed at what WE were able to bring into the world. I was so happy to be able to have both our parents there to see the happiness I was experiencing. She made it difficult on mom and will probably continue to be difficult at times, but all the happiness she brings us makes it worth it.

Her Story: Inevitably, life happens. We thought that by having a newborn, our lives would be chaotic and full of change. Little did we know that we were about to go through one heck of a rollercoaster together. Over the past two years Jesse and I have moved to a new city and bought our first house together, changed jobs multiple times, said goodbyes to the close friends, family, and pets we've lost along the way, worked through a worldwide pandemic... Add quarantine and isolation to that list....and somehow planned a wedding in the middle of all of it... I look back on it all and know that I wouldn't have made it through with anyone else by my side. We've managed to spend more time together in the 4-5 years we've been together than most couples spend in the first 20 years of their marriage. If we can make it through all of that with complete faith in and and the support of one another, I know we can handle anything this crazy world throws at us. His Story: What life changes have we gone through together? I can't think of any at all. Well except since I have known Jessica I have moved from Mundelein, Illinois to Milwaukee, Wisconsin and now to Madison where we became first time homeowners. When we met I was working at ADP, but moved to The Boys and Girls Club of Dane County in Madison, and am now currently working at American Family Insurance. Jessica was working at GE when I met her, transitioned to Thermo FIsher after Ava was born, which prompted a move to Madison and now is the CHRO at Plastic Ingenuity. And the biggest change of all is the birth of our daughter Ava on June 12th, 2019. We aren't married yet, but incorporating ourselves into each others families has been a change. Every change has been for the good, for the support of our family and we have each been there for each other to support the independent decisions we have made and work together to make the decisions together that we need to make.

Her Story: It was December of 2019, on New Year's Eve. Being the raging party animals that we are, we hadn't planned anything, but Jesse's parents offered to come up and babysit so we could explore this brand new city. Since we didn't know many people yet and don't drink much, we kept it pretty tame. We saw Knives Out and had a late dinner at Everly. As is typical on NYE, the tables were VERY close with little opportunity for private conversation. After we had finished we decided to watch the ball drop with Bruce and Cathy back at our house. It was COLD and there was a nice white, sparkling blanket of snow. It was peaceful on that street at that time. I noticed none of that as I ran to the car to avoid any potential of frostbite. As we got in the car, Jesse just sat there for a solid minute before he turned and handed me this small wrapped package. I was surprised because not only had we not talked about this, but he doesn't wrap ANYTHING. In it was the ring that I would later learn was his mother's engagement ring I don't remember exactly what was said between the two of us except for a resounding "Yes" and lots of hugs and kisses only made slightly awkward by the car console between us. His Story: I am quite the romantic, except that I'm actually not at all though I try...a little. I wanted to ask her on New Years Eve and my plan was to improvise; I tend to work better just going with the flow rather than over plan anything. I figured I would know when the best time would be to propose. We went to a movie with no great option to ask her, so then went to dinner thinking that during the meal may work. However, Jessica picked a new place and it was a very open concept with no privacy. So much for that idea! Last resort before heading home was to do it after dinner. So being the romantic I am, once in the car I gave her my gift (despite agreeing not to do gifts that year). At least it was a surprise! She had no clue I would be proposing to her that evening!

Her Story: If there's anything I've learned over the past decade it's to allow life to take you on a ride. You steer the ship, but pretending that any of us have complete control over all of this beautiful chaos is futile. For now, I'm very happy to bring our families together while we start our own and focus on making the most out of each day we have together. Knowing that everything can change in the blink of an eye can be daunting, but having the wonderful people around you that I'm blessed to have in my life leaves me completely reassured that we'll create and build an amazing life together. One that we hope all of you will continue to be a part of. We love you all! HIs Story: Providing the best life possible for our family is what matters next. And keeping both our families very centric to our lives as well as to Ava's. I have no doubt I have the right person by my side to navigate life's ups and downs and do what is in the best interests of our family.