A runner from a tiny village in southwestern Wisconsin and a soccer player from a small hick-town in Mid-Michigan happened to attend the same college in the middle of a cornfield down in Charleston, Illinois. It was only right for the two to meet not at a bar, not at a party, but on a treadmill. Dustin was cross-training on a speed bike and Lindsey was running on a treadmill for fun. She just so happened to be in Dustin’s line of vision.

It wasn’t until Christmas break when Dustin decided to finally reach out to Lindsey. Via Twitter messaging. An odd platform to initiate the most important conversation of his life, but nonetheless, Lindsey appreciated the sweet gesture. The chit-chat turned from high school running stats to plans to meet in-person once the second semester started.

Despite only getting the chance to talk here and there at spring parties or passing each other on the way to class, their interest in each other carried them through the next months into summer, when Lindsey arrived back to campus for pre-season training and Dustin stayed in Charleston with the boys. Before you knew it, the soccer girls and cross-country boys collided with friendships and there was no denying something special between Lindsey and Dustin. Their relationship didn’t start with a first date, no, but rather a series of pranks. Lindsey came out on top when she and a few teammates stuck 3,000 sticky notes on the Cheeto (Dustin’s orange car) and filled cups of water for the front porch in the middle of the night. Dustin raised a white flag and spent 3 hours that morning peeling pieces of paper off his vehicle.

Shortly later, a first date of kayaking on the Embarrass River led to supporting each other at games and races, along with fun dinners ending with the longest talks and the best laughs. Dustin learned the sport of soccer and was able to finally visit Michigan, the best state in the midwest. Lindsey learned to tolerate hunting and has had more cheese curds in the last year than her whole life. Throughout their college years, they were able to make special memories together: traveling the country for athletics, going on whitetail hunts, vacationing in various states, walking the stage at graduation, and adopting a furry friend - Waylon.

Each year gets better and better for the two lovebirds. But 2024 is about to be a year to remember. Thank you for celebrating Lindsey and Dustin since day one as they are excited to have their loved ones all together on the most special day.

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