Their Dream of Homesteading Brought Them Together!

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On his first day of joining CatholicMatch in June 2021, Scott reached out to Maria, all because of a photo of her in a chapel veil. Scott not only found Maria to be attractive, but really wanted to know more about her dream of starting a homestead one day.

At the time, Maria was a farmer moving from Maine to New Hampshire and Scott was in the automotive industry in Michigan. 

During their chats, they spent time sharing about their affinity for the trade world and real-life practical skills. Maria and Scott even bonded on how they intend to raise their children–teaching them canning, growing their own food, changing the oil, and paying their taxes.

"You know, just normal Catholic dating conversation," Maria remarked, “I found his upfront, straight honesty to be one of the most refreshing qualities in him, in addition to how hard-working and hands-on he was.” 

Long-distance dating was not an ideal situation for Scott; however, he was willing to put in the time and effort to grow closer and closer to Maria.

After a few months of talking, the day finally came when Maria and Scott decided to meet in person.

At the end of October 2021, Scott decided to do something he had never done before, drive out of state! He took this opportunity to visit Maria as a way to check it off his bucket list and meet her in person after chatting online and phone conversations. 

Both Scott and Maria had chosen to switch to flip phones because they were sick of technology. This change in technology made cross-country travel a little difficult, but not out of the question because of a traditional atlas, which was extremely hard to find in this technology-crazed world. “Don’t worry, now we both have GPS in our cars so we don’t get lost half as much,” Maria said.

This first-time meeting was a little nerve-wracking to say the least!

Maria joked, “I kept making jokes that I was going to run off into the woods when he came so I did not have to meet him.”

Maria had never really previously dated, but this experience of meeting a complete stranger took it to a whole new level. She remembered questioning if she wanted to ruin such a good friendship that had developed between the two of them.

Then did the questions come flooding in–what about his quirks?

How did he hold himself?

But, their first meeting was perfect!

After thirteen hours of driving, Scott finally arrived in New Hampshire and they hit it off well. It couldn't have gone better! Maria clearly remembers his outfit of Wranglers because he was awarded bonus points from her mom. 

For their first date, they decided to find a cabin in the woods that Maria had accidentally stumbled upon on one of her Sunday drives. She had found an ATV trail with a clearing that had a tiny, boarded-up, rundown cabin. This cabin was intriguing because it had a sign that said, “under government surveillance.” Maria took that as a sign to get out of there and later recounted the whole adventure to Scott. Scott decided this would be a great first date and an adventure to remember, so they headed out to find the trail again. Maria remembers, “That might not have been super smart for a girl just meeting a guy for the first time, going out to who knows where, but we were both excited.”

Not only was this the night before Halloween, they had just recently watched Maria’s first horror movie, so it was going to be a trip to remember!

But, the date was quite anticlimactic amidst all the excitement. The cabin was still in the clearing that Maria had stumbled upon before. There was nothing really to do besides look at the boarded-up windows of the abandoned cabin. So, they just turned around and went home.

This has become a running joke that they will find other obscure locations to celebrate their anniversary. 

Scott used his time in Maine well by asking Maria’s dad for permission to court her.

Thus, their relationship became official! Yes, the thirteen-hour distance was a barrier, but the flip phones came in handy. Countless hours were spent talking late into the night, even falling asleep on the phone. They even planned for Scott to move out to the east coast and spend time dating in person. Before that became a reality, Scott wanted to save up some money and not long later, he moved to New Hampshire at the beginning of April 2022. 

An opportunity arose for Maria to interview on a farm in Massachusetts to which Scott went along. Maria remembers her new boss mentioning they were still looking for help. Lo and behold, Scott was looking for a job and now they work on the farm together. Farming was old hat to Maria, but new to Scott. They look fondly back on their time working alongside each other from learning why basil plants are not trellised to putting staples incorrectly into landscape fabric. 

Not long after moving to Massachusetts, Maria and Scott were engaged.

“Our engagement was very simple, but very sweet,” Maria fondly recalls. “We would attend Mass daily after work, and after Mass, we would pray for discernment and purity in front of an icon of Our Lady of Czestochowa.” After praying one Sunday in the beginning of May 2022, Scott asked Maria if she would marry him and she said yes. Maria and Scott want to celebrate with their closest friends and family. Scott's dad will be his best man and the farm they first started at together as their reception location.

 Scott continues to learn more about farming and definitely wants to pursue it as a career. Maria and Scott were fortunate enough to get the opportunity to learn and work side by side. They plan to spend the rest of their lives this way–homesteading with their future family.

They dream of one day owning their own farm, perhaps back in New Hampshire.

Side by side, they want to help each other with the farm tasks, the household, and, of course, their future children.

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