| The Happy Couple |
| John and Cassandra met through mutual friends, Matthew and Angela Principato. "At first," Cassandra remembers, "it was just the bunch of us hanging out together, like we always did. Then John and I started hanging out with just each other, no one else around. Most of our friends considered that we were dating then, but we didn't." Cassandra introduced John to the Naval Sea Cadet program in April of 2005. According to John, "I had a great time, I thought it was a wonderful program and I loved working with the kids." Cassandra remembers thinking, "This one's a keeper." |
| We're Just Friends |
| John and Cassandra went on their first "official" date in June of 2005 to the Lone Star Steakouse in Lincoln, Nebraska. Over their steak and shared crab legs, John and Cassandra learned more about their childhoods and each other. They continued dating over the summer and in July, Cassandra went out on the truck with John for the first time. "It was awesome being able to see areas of the country I'd never seen before. John would help me in and out of the truck until I got used to it. We had a good time just driving down the road singing Christmas songs to each other to keep John awake at night." |
| Dating |
| In November, John and Cassandra decided to find a place together, which they moved into in December. On Christmas night, John asked Terry, Cassandra's father, for permission to marry Cassandra. "I was nervous, I didn't know how he would react. But, I believe that some traditions must be upheld, and getting the potential father-in-law's blessing is one of them," John states. "Later that night," Cassandra tells us, "John got down on one knee beside my bed, where I was all ready laying and asked, 'you want to get married?' It was sweet." The next day, when they were looking for rings John informed Cassandra he would propose again over a nice romantic dinner after they got the ring. They have the ring selected. |
| It's Getting Serious |
| Having decided to get married, the first decision John and Cassandra had to make was the wedding date. "I wanted a date that was in between our birthdays. Our birthdays are when we started life and getting married is starting a new life. I thought it would be nice to have our wedding, the birth of our married life, be a split between our birthdays." Cassandra states. The exact middle of John and Cassandra's birthdays was November twenty-fifth or May twenty-fifth. November twenty-fifth was the Saturday after Thanksgiving and, unknown to Cassandra, in the middle of elk hunting season in Montana. So the couple began to look at other dates in November. They decided that the third would work and then remembered that John's cousin, who is currently serving in the United States Army in Iraq, is supposed to return home on the third of November. John wanted his cousin and his cousin's family to attend the wedding so the date was changed to November tenth. In March, John decided that he wanted to reenlist in the Army. John and Cassandra moved their wedding date to May 6 so that he could join sooner. Shortly after the wedding, they will be moving to Fort Sill, Oklahoma. |
| The Engagement |
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