Our story is just like any other you hear about these days, except for a little more vague on the "how did you meet" part, but who needs the specifics.

Matthew and Jess started talking when Matthew was still overseas for the military. While neither of them were really looking for anything too serious, they ended up hitting it off. Unfortunately, Matthew was supposed to have a few more years on his contract overseas, so meeting in person didn't seem like much of an option and they didn't think it was going to go anywhere.

Fast forward to the one good thing that came out of covid... the chance for Matthew to get out of his contract and come home to Iowa. Which is what he ended up doing. Shortly after he got back, they had their first date at Saylorville Lake, and just talked for hours.

They officially started dating in May of 2021. During that summer, Jess moved back home to Wisconsin to work, and Matthew stayed in Iowa. They worked through the distance for a few months and got to see each other on the weekends sometimes. During the school year, Jess lived in Ames and Matthew lived an hour away. Eventually, Matthew moved to Ames to be with Jess.

While they have moved from apartment to apartment, they still reside in Ames with their dog Riley.

Enjoy some photos of us through the years