In the summer of 2014 they enjoyed walks by the river and ate Kate's veggies grilled over Derek's charcoal grill. They laughed and told stories but weren't quite ready for more.

That fall, Derek almost moved to Michigan for a job, Kate back packed through Europe during a farming break, while both lamented to friends about the lack of prospects. A year later, in the fall of 2015, Derek liked the Wild Woods Farm Facebook page (Kate's farm) and Kate noticed. He kept liking a lot of posts, and Kate noted it. In December of 2015 he messaged her. Kate thought, if I respond to this, I might just marry this guy.

She cautiously responded to one message. Then they messaged for a month. It led to a “second, first date” on a winter afternoon snow shoeing and hiking in January, 2016.

Two years later at Christmas, Derek proposed to Kate and she accepted. Derek presented a cloth ring made from a scrap piece of Kate's Grandpa Sullivan's overalls found in her grandmas sowing kit the weekend Clarence died. Derek had carried it since spring when he made it waiting for the right moment. Later, he presented Kate with a beautiful diamond that had been his grandmothers.

Kate and Derek love to work together on the farm, cook together and hang out with friends and family. Derek is an appliance engineer. The parts he designs can be found in the appliance aisle at Lowes, your local sandwich shop, and in trade shows around the world. Derek is a motorcycle enthusiast with a plethora of hobbies. Kate is a farmer who is actively involved with farm policy and who can be found with dirt under her nails all summer long, except, hopefully, on her wedding day.