Along the I-29 route at mile marker 94 stands a towering, wind-swept pine. This pine, nicknamed "Cool Tree" by Larry and Mimz long before Jaime entered the picture, has been a recurring side character in Jaime and Larry's relationship since the beginning.

In the early days of their relationship, Larry would call Jaime anytime he drove past it on his way back to Omaha after visiting his family in St. Louis. It was about an hour outside of Omaha, so they would stay on the phone until Larry pulled up at Jaime's doorstep. On the first trip to St. Louis together, they drove past it chanting "Cool Tree! Cool Tree! Cool Tree!". Since then, whether together, alone, with friends or family, they have made a point to share the joy with one another (often at the expense of others' ear drums).

December 2022, a little over 2 years after they started dating, Jaime and Larry were making the trip from St. Louis to Lincoln to visit her family for the holidays. After about 5 hours in the car, Larry suggested they make a Spotify playlist of songs which hold meaning to their relationship (the title of the playlist is a different story for a different time). While making the playlist, Jaime received a "Remember this?" notification from Google Photos. Jaime started going through all the photos from the previous year, reminiscing with Larry of all the amazing memories made together.

Suddenly, Larry pulled off the highway at exit 96, near Craig, MO. There were no gas stations or rest stops in sight, so Jaime was a little confused. He told her he had a Christmas present for her, and it didn't take too long for her to put it together - they were going to see Cool Tree up close and personal (usually they fly by it at 75mph..)! After more than a few twists and turns, they pulled up to the tree on an unmarked road in front of a house. They got out to take a picture with it, which is exactly when Larry got down on one knee! Sparing the details, Jaime obviously said yes.

But the story doesn't end there. As they were getting back in the car to leave, a man in a camo jacket and cowboy hat rolled up in a gator asking if there was a problem. Puffy-eyed, they joyfully told him they just got engaged. Turns out, he was the owner of the property which the tree stands on! He kindly offered to take their picture, and then shared stories of his own life on the property. He shared memories of the tree being struck by lightening or spending days playing around it as a little boy. He and his wife had been calling it "The Leaning Tree", but has since changed the name to "Engagement Tree."

J&L

Wedding Day

1:00 PM

1:00 PM

Ceremony

6:30 PM

6:30 PM

Reception