His Side:

Sara Tripp stumbled across my profile on okcupid 11 years ago on February 6 th . I can’t retrieve her message but I remember her asking about my farming activities and if I had ever considered raising bees or Alpacas. I responded I had not. And also I was allergic to bees. It wasn’t particularly romantic. Our conversations continued however. Perhaps because we opened up just enough of a crack into each other’s souls with every text.

We saw something in each other that was the same. But different enough to be extremely attractive. At least for me. I eagerly waited for her to text me when she was finished with work. And I pushed hard for us to meet face to face. We did. The first thing we did together was a project. I don’t think either one of us had the slightest idea how to do it. But we pressed forward. Joking and laughing most of the time. We each had things to sort out on our own and our initial romance was brief. But I felt deeply in my soul that I should keep this determined, big hearted expert excavator operator close. Keep her close for when I was ready and man enough to be deserving of Sara’s beautiful soul as a companion.

We have loved each other for exactly who we are from the start. We have learned and will continue to learn how to deal with what life throws our way as the awkward team putting up a faux kitchen backsplash 11 years ago. We may even go into bees. And alpacas.

Her Side:

I showed John Schoon's profile to my best friend and he asked "Did you write this?" I had not. But that's how similar John and I were from the start. I believe OKCupid had given us a 91% match actually. While we did do a project, and John did buy me a James Taylor album on our first date, I remained tentative.

I wasn't sold until the second date, when John rented an excavator and taught me how to use it and let me pull out trees by myself. Shortly thereafter he taught me how to weld. For the last 11 years he has supported me in anything I wanted to try, with a patience that I can only hope to learn myself.

Now the part which John is leaving out is that shortly after we started dating, he decisively broke up with me. This provided me two years as a close friend to ask him out over and over again, only to be rejected by the stone cold no of a skinny Dutchman. It wasn't until I had met someone else that John said "What if I want to date you though?" Perfect timing. Insert grumpy Sara face.

And so it goes. I knew we belonged together the whole time. He's the calm to my storm. I'm the tidy to his chaos. I'm the excel spreadsheet to his metal garbage picking.

I feel lucky to have this guy by my side as we navigate life and everything that comes with it. We found each other when we were a bit older and I think that was important for both of us.