Joni & Tom met in June of 2021 at their friends wedding, Charlie and Lexi Beeler. Lexi and Joni have been friends since they were kids and Joni was apart of the bridal party. Tom got to know Charlie through his job at Bayer Crop Science in Huxley, IA. That night they connected on the dance floor and exchanged phone numbers.

The next weekend was the big Fourth of July celebration in Clear Lake. Joni resides in Clear Lake and Tom spent the summers there at his parents lake cottage. The next weekend Tom asked her to go to the Arch Allies concert with him. Joni agreed, they grabbed a few drinks, enjoyed the music and talked a lot to get to know each other better. Tom then asked her to go on the ferris wheel with him and they snapped their first picture as a couple. As they went around a couple times Tom went in for the kiss. Joni was busy looking at the beautiful views and continued to talk about the sights around them.

After coming down from the ride, they grabbed another drink and met up with a few of Joni's friends to meet the infamous Tom Pepper. They proposed going down the street to a bar. Since Joni & Tom just grabbed another drink Tom, the rule follower, convinced Joni they needed to finish their drinks before entering. Since they were outside alone, Joni felt like she had to explain why she didn't kiss Tom back on the ferris wheel.

She explained to him that while she was interested in Tom, she wasn't dating at the time. In October of the previous year she had become frustrated that she hadn't found "the one" for her. After listening to a sermon series recommended by a friend she made the commitment to not date for an entire year and solely focus on her relationship with God. This commitment began on October 4th and she was determined to see it through. She shared that she wanted to continue to get to know Tom but wouldn't date him until after October 4th. Tom agreed to remain friends until then.

That summer they hung out going to the Iowa State Fair, boating on the lake, seeing concerts and going to an ISU football game.

On October 4th, Tom asked Joni on their first official date to go to Johnny's in Des Moines. After they had a nice dinner they walked across the Des Moines River bridge. When they got halfway Tom turned to Joni and asked her to be his girlfriend. She said yes and they shared their first kiss.

Since the beginning of their relationship Tom and Joni love going on adventures as well as sharing the simple things in life. They are so thankful that the Lord brought them together and cannot wait to continue to celebrate their love on November 9th