Catherine remembers meeting Joe in 2016, at a college interview. She thought he was one of the staff, as boys at her high school were NOT allowed to have beards.

Joe remembers going dancing in Omaha with Catherine and some other friends during their junior year. She turned around in the middle of the car ride to ask him "what makes you happy in life?" This prompted a long conversation leading to a deeper friendship.

Catherine and Joe started dating in 2021, about a year after college graduation, when they both moved back to Lincoln. They have enjoyed traveling to visit friends on the west coast, Lincoln cuisine, escape rooms, and playing video games together.

Joe and Catherine decided to get married after spending Christmas 2022 apart - never doing that again! Joe proposed by a pond on their normal walking route (after setting up several fancy dinner dates to try and throw Catherine off as to when it might be) on May 17, 2023.