HANNAH: Jason and I first met in front of the church in Mesilla in August of 2011. Even though we had just met and knew practically nothing about each other we decided to take a walk through town together. We immediately bonded over our shared love of family, travel & learning. I remember really being impressed with how mature and polite Jason was... Not to mention calm, collected and steadfast.

JASON: I had only lived in the area for about three months and it was exciting to meet such a spontaneous and free spirited person who gave me a better appreciation for the area I now found myself living. She had this cute little dog named Muffin who was so full of energy. I really liked them both.

US: And so we became friends. We enjoyed going on walks, going to the movies and being silly. It got to the point where we were always at the others place playing video games or watching TV. Then we became house-mates; Jason lived on the top floor, Hannah lived on the bottom floor and Muffin couldn't be happier to have double the attention. We continued to develop our friendship while at the same time co-habitating and working together to navigate life. We didn't see it then, but we were laying really great foundation for a long-lasting relationship.

In April 2012 we went to Paris, our first big adventure together.

HANNAH : I had wanted to go my whole life and finally going seemed unreal to me. I knew almost every detail about the city, but I had no idea how to logically (and wisely) plan a trip. Jason on the other hand had ALL that under control, so really we were the perfect traveling pair.

JASON: I may have gotten us to Paris but Hannah really made the trip come alive. She knew all the cool hidden spots and must see places, not to mention enough French to keep us out of trouble.

US: Our favorite memories were this cute little breakfast place near our apartment where we got fresh croissants and flower-honey, riding bikes through the gardens of Versailles, (JASON: Hannah posing as a statue in the main corridor of the gardens) and of course the shopping (well, at least Hannah enjoyed that part.)

It seemed that after Paris we just sort of fell into the habit of going on trips and adventures together. We went all over New Mexico, to Las Vegas, and even almost to Mexico once! It really was an awesome couple of years...

Then in 2014 Jason got stationed in Missouri, and for a while it really seemed like that might be the end of the story.. Sure we stayed in contact, but it really looked like our lives were going in different directions. Then came his move to Kuwait. It was during this time that we really started talking a lot again. Hannah sent Jason his favorite cookies and Jason made a habit of calling more often. And then it just sort of happened; we realized that we had loved each other all along.

From that point on everything seemed to fall into place naturally. Jason came back from Kuwait, we traveled together and really enjoyed life unlike we ever had before. And then, in December of 2016 Jason came to New Mexico, got Mr. Lujan's blessing and asked Hannah to marry him.

HANNAH: It was the kind of proposal I had always dreamt of. Quiet, simple and private. I was in bed and Jason called me into living room. I remember the room had a magical glow to it because of all the Christmas lights... When I walked in there he was, on one knee...

JASON: I'll never forget way her face lit up when she saw me...

And that's our story... We spent the next several weeks telling our family and friends both in New Mexico and New York, and we celebrated our engagement on New Years Eve in Manhattan...

We decided to marry in the Basilica of San Albino in Mesilla, where Hannah grew up going to church and really, where we started this journey together...

Photos