How it all began
Katie and Joe met through the age-old tale of… Hinge. Joe made the first move by commenting on Katie’s love of Bo Burnham’s recent Netflix special: Inside. Katie responded in the only logical way—by deleting the app.
Two weeks (and a glass of wine) later, Katie redownloaded Hinge, and their conversations began. For the next month they bonded over normal, everyday things—like carcinization and Guy Fieri wood-burnt art. Katie also helped Joe keep his mind off his first board exam, which was no small feat.
Joe knew Katie was special, but he also knew he’d be moving from Des Moines to Chicago in just two weeks. He decided to risk it and sent Katie a message: essentially, “Most people don’t tolerate me the way you do. I’d love to meet, but I’m leaving town right after our first date.” For the first time in history, someone actually thought Joe sounded mature. Katie appreciated the honesty—rare in the dating world—and agreed.
Their first date was supposed to be simple: Moscow mule flights and dinner. Instead, Disney Trivia night began, and after realizing they were way out of their depth against Disney Adults, they bailed for arcade games at UpDown. It was magical, and they both knew they wanted to keep seeing each other—despite Joe’s looming move. (For the record, he may have “accidentally” left some things behind in Des Moines just to guarantee another visit.)
Katie got an early glimpse of Joe’s chaos when their fourth date involved moving his entire apartment—including a queen-size mattress. And by October, Katie casually asked what Joe thought of cats. He said he was allergic. She said, “Cool, I just adopted a 6-year-old cat named Daisy.” Daisy quickly became the star of their home, and Joe miraculously “got over” his allergies.
The next year was filled with long-distance visits across Iowa City, Chicago, and Des Moines, capped off by a family vacation in the Florida Keys where Katie discovered why Joe is… the way he is. Surviving all this led to their next adventure: moving from 400 miles apart to four feet apart.
When Joe arranged to spend rotations in Des Moines, the two of them decided to move into Katie’s 300-square-foot apartment. Joe optimistically called it a “test run,” which made Katie so nervous she had to change her pants (she was wearing her “standing jeans” at the time). Despite that rocky start, they thrived—even when tested by no AC, Court Ave nightlife keeping them up until 3 a.m., an apartment ill-equipped to transport 4 gallons of chili, and Joe’s board exam being canceled the same day Katie’s keys mysteriously disappeared.
Eventually, the Match took them to Kansas City, where Joe began residency at KU and Katie—thankfully—was able to work remotely. They built a new life together: Katie quickly became the social face of KU Internal Medicine’s Instagram, Joe picked tennis back up at Loose Park, and they continued their tradition of eating, drinking, and adventuring their way through a new city.
Once Joe decided it was time to propose (with a blessing granted only secured thanks to a Big 12 Tournament win for Iowa State), he played it smart: at dinner one night (after a couple drinks), he casually asked what kind of ring Katie would want. Unsurprisingly, she had examples ready.
On September 9th, 2024, Joe led Katie and his mom on a “casual hike” in Acadia National Park. After nearly scaring Katie into thinking the real surprise was her untimely death on a cliff, Joe staged an elaborate stall at Sand Beach (complete with faked GI distress). Finally, he proposed—and Katie said yes.
A month later, Joe faced an unexpected illness that threw both of them into one of the hardest seasons of their lives. Katie spent nights on hospital couches when she was supposed to be training for a marathon. By some miracle, things turned out well: Katie ran her race, and Joe proudly cheered her on—from a Stairmaster at the gym.
Today, their life together is full of travel, cooking (some fancy, some not), sampling every Kansas City brewery, and documenting Daisy’s every goofy move. They wait with baited breath as they soon will uproot their (and Daisy’s) lives to Denver for their next step as Joe starts endocrinology fellowship at University of Colorado and Katie will have the adventure of working from home in a new time zone! Daisy will continue to meow incessantly at her arch enemy… closed doors.
Joe and Katie can’t wait to celebrate the past, present, and future of their love story with you on May 2, 2026!
Joe and Katie can’t wait to celebrate the past, present, and future of their love story with you on May 2, 2026!
