Our story begins in 2018 when Clint, Brian, Sophia, James, and Jon moved to Mimi and Pop Pop's house next door to Sara at Granite Lake. At that time, Sara was living at the lake full-time, all by herself, in relative peace and tranquility. That all changed. In no time, four wheelers, dirt bikes, snow mobiles, fireworks, and rednecks doing burnouts began to infiltrate Sara and her brother Levi's quiet haven.

While we don't know the exact date Sara and Clint met, there's a strong likelihood it was when Sara was trying to enjoy some quiet time alone on the dock. Over time, Sara and Clint developed a rapport and would usually say hello to the other by calling out "Hey, Neighbor!" when both families were out on the dock or when Sara and Levi would sit and enjoy their coffee or an adult beverage on the porch.

Clint Kerber's shenanigans were his foot in the door to the Barrett's lives. Watching Clint ride a tiny motorcycle past the house or drive a golf cart full of kids down to the beach elicited laughs and banter with the Barretts and their friends.

Clint and Sara started developing a deeper neighborly relationship in the winter of 2022. Clint noticed Sara wasn't leaving her house much that winter and reached out to ask her if she wanted to take a walk with him and the kids. Usually, Sara turned down his invitations to join him for s'mores, boat rides, hot chocolate, ice skating, or coffee, but felt the need to get out of the house that particular day. (The pandemic was a blissful time for many introverts, but even introverts need the company of other humans from time to time!).

Clint and Sara began to bond through deeper conversations about current events, politics, philosophy, and spirituality during occasional walks and talks by the side of the road. They found connections in their different world views: Clint looked at life's beauty and challenges through the lens of the Bible and Jesus Christ, and Sara through philosophical and political theory which she studied in college.

In October 2022, Clint mounted his trusty white golf cart and picked Sara up to drive down the road to Laketoberfest at the Pepin's boathouse. They had a jovial time meeting new neighbors and catching up with old acquaintances.

Despite repeated admonishing by Clint's daughter Sophia to "leave that poor woman alone," Clint texted Sara after Christmas in 2022 saying his mother Bev would like to have her over for dinner. Sara discovered she'd been bamboozled after finding out Bev had no idea she was coming for dinner when she showed up at the Kerber house that night.

After dinner, Clint's youngest son Jonny asked Sara if she wanted to see the train set he got for Christmas. Sara agreed and went with Clint and the kids upstairs to see the train. (Sara and Clint's courtship begins and ends with trains!). During that time, Clint apologized for frequently getting up to grab a tissue as his nose was running. A few days later, on New Year's Eve, Sara tested positive for Covid!

Clint felt bad about giving Sara Covid and asked if he could take her out to dinner to make up for it. Sara said no, because she had Covid and had to stay isolated. Instead, Clint came over to her house when she was starting to feel better and made her a mouth-watering steak tip dinner. They were pretty much inseparable after that!