Loving someone sometimes means putting their preferences above our own.
Paul Limburg of Salt Lake City, Utah is not the kind of guy who likes a lot of fanfare. A widower whose wife passed away from cancer in 2020, Paul has been focused on raising his four kids. About a year ago, Paul signed up for a dating app with hopes of moving his life forward. Cassie Farley was the first, and last person he ever matched with!
“I really felt like it was just so inspired and that we were meant to be together,” Paul recalled of their first meeting.
Cassie, a teacher at Pleasant Grove High School, has been a single mom to her own four kids for the past 8 years. She has been “waiting patiently” to meet the right man, and as soon as she met Paul, she knew she’d finally found the one.
“When we met, we knew that we were just supposed to be together,” she said. “Anyone who knows me, knows that I am so picky about who I date, and I am so patient. When I met him, I knew it was so special. I could not believe I had found this most amazing man. He’s so awesome and cute and everything good in the world, and I’m just so excited!”
A year after that fateful first meeting, Cassie was teaching Hope Squad, a class that focuses on topics like health and hope, when an unusual announcement come over the P.A. system.
“Cassie Farley, we have someone down in the front office,” the announcement said. “A gentleman who would like to propose to you.
Beaming with joy, Cassie headed to the office, followed by every student in her class — and every student within earshot! Paul asked one of her students to film the proposal, so viewers get a front row seat as the excited teacher walks through the hallway with a trail of thrilled, cheering teenagers chanting her name.
“My heart is beating so fast!” she gushed.
Paul was waiting for her at the office, holding a bouquet of flowers. As soon as he saw her, he got down on one knee and asked her to marry him. She said yes!
Later, Cassie said she was surprised he’d decided to make such a public display of their engagement, but she knew he’d done it all for her.
“I was shocked when he did this,” she said. “It is not his personality, but it is so mine. I knew he was going to propose, but I never thought in a million years he would do something like this! And he had it all lined up with my daughter to get all our family there, and had lined it up with one of my students in Hope Squad to record it while I was teaching. So when it came on the intercom, I was like, ‘What?’ It was so fun.”
Paul agreed, admitting, “I’m not one to do something like this; I’d rather hide somewhere than be in the spotlight.”
“I was putting the focus on her,” he continued. “I knew it would be a bit of a disruption, so I called the principal and tried to get approval and everything. She’s a local celebrity down in Pleasant Grove, especially in her high school. I knew that by announcing it over the intercom close to lunchtime, everyone would be filing out of the classroom. I knew everyone would come to see it because everyone knows her and loves her.”
The video proves Paul’s point — every student seems so invested in Cassie’s proposal! She says she has a tight bond with many students there, particularly those in her Hope Squad class, so she was thrilled to share her big moment with them. Her engagement is also a teachable moment according to Cassie, who always advocates for staying hopeful.
“We all have those super dark moments, and we can hit really low lows, and if you stay patient, hope can prevail,” she said.
What a fun way to pop the question! Paul seems to really understand what makes Cassie tick, and he’s willing to do what it takes to make her happy.
Watch the adorable school-wide proposal in the video below, and be sure to share to wish this sweet couple well.