Chapter One
Our Story
Despite never meeting, Zach and Rachel moved out of their Midwest homes to Phoenix, AZ, within a month of each other, in the summer of 2022, to live with their respective sisters. Zach on the Upper East Side, Rachel on the Lower West Side, there was only one way for them to meet.
September 2022, right swipe, left swipe, right swipe, it's a match. A girl with a paper airplane tattoo and a pilot, clearly meant to be.
What started as a simple rock climbing date quickly turned into late nights and long drives across the city. Planning dates and concerts and meeting each other's families…and a dog that didn't approve (at first). One December night, walking through a Christmas light show in Scottsdale, Rachel was working up the nerve to say the big "L" word when Zach beat her to it—something he never lets her live down.
Rachel and Zach moved in together in July of 2023, just as Rachel began to brave the trials of paramedic school. During this time, the two made the most of what time they did get to spend together, enjoying golf outings, movies, bars, and hiking. Rachel finally wore Zach down, and in May of 2024, they adopted Bolt, their 17-pound, pure chaos dog. Frisco was less than pleased to be a big brother, but now the two are the best of roommates (friends is a bit of a stretch).
Slowly, they began discussing what life would look like if they moved back to the Midwest, and the conversation about marriage followed. In the spring of 2025, Zach accepted a flight instructor position in Three Rivers, and Rachel soon followed, working as a paramedic in Kalamazoo.
On October 25, 2025, Zach asked the most critical question in the story so far, and the rest is history.
The Engagement
Those who know Rachel know one thing: secrets are her worst enemy. All week, she was ABSOLUTELY POSITIVE that Zach was proposing on Saturday at the apple orchard… until Saturday.
The day started like any other. Zach made pancakes and fresh orange juice, took care of the cat and dog, and let Rachel know a student scheduled a lesson, so they needed to be done at the apple orchard by 2 pm, so he could be home with time to drive to work. Rachel was, obviously, suspicious of this, but didn't say anything. She curled her hair, picked a cute outfit, and only made them 45 minutes late to their own proposal. In the 45-minute drive over to Schultz Fruitridge Farms, Rachel assumed her regular passenger princess role, blasting music and playing games on her phone, oblivious to Zach's nervous fidgeting.
Upon arrival, Rachel let Zach know the plan. They should walk all the way back to the Granny Smith apples, then work their way back forward, stopping at the Ida Reds halfway and finishing with Ever Crisp in the front. This would minimize the time spent carrying apple-filled bags. Zach was stressing too much to pay attention to the finer points of her plan, but gave a sigh of relief when she mentioned Ida Red. Unknown to Rachel, Zach and his (now) best man had come to the farm about a week before to pick out the proposal spot and landed on a set of trees in the middle, the patch of Ida Reds.
As they walked back to the Granny Smiths, Rachel scanned all the trees for anything suspicious. Her mom hiding in a tree, balloons, or a well-placed photographer. (She did, in fact, walk directly past one of her maids of honor and Zach's best man without so much as a glance in their direction).
By the time they made it back to the rows of Granny Smith, Rachel had decided it wasn't happening today, at least not there, and pivoted to her apple strategy. Quickly, Rachel decided she wanted to make apple butter, apple juice, and fresh apple pancakes with their harvest, and calculated how much of each variety they needed. Zach was not interested in her plan; he was too busy scanning the rows to find the photographer he'd asked to capture the moment.
Satisfied with her collection of Granny Smiths, it was time to walk up to the Ida Reds. Zach needed to stall her because the photographer had come back to the end of the orchard with them and needed to sneak ahead. "You're walking too fast, let's stand and watch this plane do maneuvers, look, that goose is angry (to be fair, it was)." Anything to slow her down.
At the Ida Reds, Rachel went deep in the trees to find the best apples for her baking. Zach was doing everything he could to get her back in the center, where the photographer could see them. Finally, Zach turns to her and says he is done with Ida, then bolts out of the trees. Confused, Rachel followed, and Zach pointed behind her.
"What about this apple?"
When Rachel turned back to face Zach, she saw him on one knee, holding not an apple, but the perfect ring, ready to ask the question she'd been waiting for all her life. If you know Rachel, you see that no decision is made easily or without extensive research. But this one came without hesitation, "Yes."