Katie & Joe

It took only about a month and a half into dating, before Joe asked Katie about her weekend plans. She was heading to her family lake house, and thinking he would probably say no, but she took a chance & asked Joe if he'd want to join. Of course, he was a gentleman and said "as long as I could spend time with you, I don't care what we were doing." So to the lake they went & to Joe's surprise quite a few of Katie's family members (who Joe has never met) were going to be there, having an impromptu Sound of Music party. This was something Joe was not very interested in. But Joe was such a good sport watching how well he got along with her family she realize that she could see Joe being a part of her family someday. Joe quickly realized that his life was better with her in and did not want to continue it without her.

So, Joe proposed to Katie at 4:15 am right before a road trip to Ocean City Maryland. The truck was packed and Joe asked Katie to come help him with something. Katie was extremely annoyed since it was so early they were already running a few minutes late. When she got to Joe, he started saying amazingly nice things to her and about her. She couldn't help but think, why can't he tell me all this in the car. Upon realizing what was happening, she could only think, "Where am I going to put this coffee and these keys I am holding?" Then Joe got down on one knee and asked her to marry him. She stared in disbelief for what seemed like minutes (actually about 5-10 seconds) and then Joe said "Uhh..this is for you" hold out the ring box. Katie then replied, "Oh, well yeah!"

One thing I LOVED about getting to know Joe & Katie during our engagement shoot was that they are up for anything & they couldn't stop laughing therefore neither could I ! If you ask them what they love most about each other... here's what they say!

Joe: Her sense of humor, willingness to try anything once, and willingness to put others first.

Katie: His ability to make me laugh, his loyalty, and his butt!

Their love of laughter was infused from the beginning with one of their favorite memories being a date to Zanies in Rosemont to see a comedy show and ended up walking all around downtown Rosemont to find a place to eat until they settled on Bub City. It was packed but they got lucky and got a couple spots at the bar close to the music, & were sitting next to a rep from Goose Island who bought them a couple drinks, and had amazing food and conversation. The night ended their first kiss before going their own separate ways.

Despite their busy lives as both teachers & dedicated coaches Joe & Katie love spending time hiking, walking their dogs & whenever possible make a really nice dinner together and catch up on their favorite TV shows while enjoying a few beverages.

With the holiday coming up fast these two are almost exactly 6 months away from starting the next part of their life together & we CAN NOT wait for May!!

Congratulations Katie & Joe!