Who says online dating can't be successful? Without the opportunities that come with online dating, who knows if our paths would have crossed or how long it would have taken. A small town girl living in Rochelle and city boy on the southside of Rockford, the perfect match and just what we each needed. We wouldn't say the road to the first date was easy by any means. First, there was the push by Hailey to get Hannah to even create a Hinge account. Then there was the persistence by Alex when Hannah originally refused to give him a chance. Finally, the convincing by Hailey for Hannah to actually go on the first date. Regardless of how hard it was to get to the first date, we are thankful for everything and everyone that brought us together and have been with us along the way.

Hannah and Hailey had planned to go to the Apple Orchard after Sunday church but when they arrived, it was way too busy for the kind of day they were looking for. They switched to their backup plan which was to grab lunch somewhere so they decided it would be a perfect chance to bring Alex into the mix. After all, the amount of pushing and convincing that Hailey had to do to get Hannah to sign up for Hinge and then give Alex a chance, it was the easier way to get Hannah to go. So they made their way towards Rockford and called Alex to make sure he was free at the last minute. Alex happily accepted, provided his address, and nervously waited to meet Hannah. Hannah and Hailey arrived at Alex's, carpooled to lunch at Aero, back to Alex's for a couple drinks, and a relaxed evening at Hailey's with some card games. By the end of the first date, it was clear that this was something special. It may have only been one date, but we felt like we had known each other for years. A couple days later, we made it official on October 6th and haven't looked back since.

To Hannah it was any standard Saturday but to Alex it was the culmination of a whole summer of planning. It started with breakfast at The Butterfly in Rochelle, but we almost didn't make it when Hannah refused to dress nicer than sweatpants. After all, she thought it was any other Saturday morning breakfast. Following breakfast Alex insisted that we had to stop by church to drop off a bag to Josh Horvath. When we arrived, Alex handed the bag to Josh who then walked away to “grab something” and when he did so Alex dropped to one knee. Hannah was looking away at the time so when she turned back all she could say was "Shut Up!". Thankfully she said yes and Emily and Jason Keast jumped out of the bushes revealing they had captured the whole thing. The surprises were not done yet. We made our way to Alex's parents house where all of our close family and friends were waiting for a surprise party. Alex had planned the celebration with his parents and Liz Jacobs who flew up from Florida. It was an amazing day with those close to us and a memory we will cherish forever. We're so excited to celebrate this next chapter in our lives with you. See you in March!