Like so many great love stories before, Josh and Jen’s started while playing in the dirt of the kickball field. Unlike most other stories with a similar start, however, they weren’t children at the time but fully-grown adults with jobs and college degrees. Both had signed up to play in an adult “Sunday Funday” kickball league in Gulfport, Florida, each knowing that the team would be made up of complete strangers that had also signed up to be randomly assigned a team.

When rosters were first emailed out, Josh sought out every member of his new team on social media, remarking at one point to future groomsman David Egles, “Hey, this Jennifer girl is pretty cute.”

Josh would have to wait a few more weeks to see the cute girl in person, but when he did he immediately knew how correct his assessment was.

As is only appropriate given the playground game they were playing when they met, Josh and Jen’s first real interaction involved some light, childish teasing (aka flirting). To pass time while waiting for innings to start, Josh started playing around in the dirt of the infield, writing messages and eventually making little pyramids of dirt. Jen noticed these (magnificent, perfectly constructed) pyramids and started critiquing Josh’s (perfect, flawless) technique and output, to which Josh responded by writing Jen silly messages in the sand about how good the (excellent, world-class) pyramids were. This also served another purpose, as it gave Josh an excuse to learn more about the cute girl paying attention to him by asking whether her name is spelled with one ‘N’ or two.

As the weeks went on, Josh and Jen’s kickball team (Kicker Before Beer) proved to have talent and chemistry, just like Josh and Jen themselves. After racking up another hard-earned victory, it was customary for most of the team to head to O’Maddy’s bar on the Gulfport waterfront for drinks and hanging out, with both Josh and Jen regularly joining the revelers.

Through these trips to the bar, Josh and Jen got to know each other better off the field, and it’s safe to say that there was some mutual interest in maybe being more than friends and teammates. The night that finally convinced Josh to take the plunge and ask Jen out was one of these evenings at O’Maddy’s, the night that Jen displayed her party trick.

You see, Josh loves spicy foods and hot sauces to the point that he suspects he caused actual physical damage to his throat from eating spicy things so much. So when Jen declared that she could chug Tabasco sauce straight from the bottle, he was intrigued, to say the least. When he saw her actually perform that task right there in the crowded bar he knew, “She’s perfect, and I need to ask her out.”

Josh walked Jen to her car that night, and just before they got in their respective vehicles he asked her if she would like to get dinner some time in a way he hoped sounded cool and confident, but probably reeked of nervous energy and fear of rejection. Regardless of how Jen heard it, she agreed to give Josh a chance.

It is only appropriate that the team that brought Josh to Tampa Bay as an intern in the first place, the Rays, would play a role in his first date with Jen. The pair watched the Tampa Bay Rays take on the Texas Rangers on May 10, 2015, a 2-1 loss for the Rays. To boost their spirits after watching the home team lose Josh and Jen decided to walk to downtown St. Petersburg, where they grabbed a delicious dinner from Locale Market (anyone that knows either of the happy couple won’t be surprised that they found a trendy food place to enjoy on their first date).

After dinner Josh walked Jen back to her car in the Tropicana Field parking lot and plans were made to arrange a second date.

That second date is where the sparks truly flew for the first time, igniting a passion for one another that burns to this day.

After an evening spent exploring the famous Dali museum in St. Petersburg, dancing together at a random concert in the lobby of the Mahaffey Theater next door, and eating their fill of hot dogs and tater tots downtown, Josh and Jen settled in to watch Pitch Perfect 2 on opening night. They walked back to their cars in a downtown parking garage, and it is there, against the oh-so-romantic backdrop of gray concrete and the cars of strangers that they had their first kiss. More accurately, Jen took the initiative to kiss Josh first, though he was more than happy to kiss her back.

From there regular dates in St. Petersburg followed, including another baseball game or two. By June, Josh knew that he wanted Jen to be his date to his cousin’s wedding in Arkansas, but knew it was asking a lot for her to meet his (large) family so soon. Still, Jen agreed to attend, as long as Josh met her parents first. One Cajun-inspired dinner (the idea of Jen’s LSU-grad father, we’re sure) later, Josh had the blessing of the Bakers to take Jen with him.

A 16-hour car-ride with Josh’s parents gave Jen more than enough time to decide whether she wanted to run for it, and somehow she decided to stay. From there she was introduced to dozens of Josh’s aunts, uncles, and cousins, and wouldn’t you know it, she fit in perfectly. She fit in so well, in fact, that one of Josh’s aunts told him “Don’t you dare screw this up” while on the dance floor, a sentiment that was echoed the next morning at breakfast by more family members.

Thankfully, Josh did NOT screw it up.

A week after that wedding in 2015 Josh realized he loved Jen and wanted to marry her one day.

In the years since their courtship started, Josh and Jen have done a LOT together. Jen has gone from someone with a fear of flying and almost no experience being a passenger to an old pro who has flown to and from destinations such as Wisconsin, Florida, England, Ireland, Italy, and Denmark, all while still having a fear of flying (as Josh’s hand can attest to)! They have seen countless movies (bonding early on in their relationship over a love of the Jurassic Park franchise), visited theme parks around the country (and around the world thanks to their trip to Denmark), eaten amazing food all over the globe, and seen dozens of live sporting events and professional wrestling shows together since becoming a couple. That last point illustrates just how perfect Jen is for Josh, as she not only tolerates but enjoys attending sporting events as much as he does!

And for those wondering, they have kept at the sport that brought them together and become kickball league champions multiple times, including the season when they first met one another.

When Jen announced that she was going to be attending Physician Assistant school in North Carolina Josh knew he had to follow her, spending months searching for a new job and a new place to live in a state he never figured he would reside.

Having gotten to their new home state a week before Jen, Josh knew he wanted to start their new adventure with a bang. And so it was that after 12+ hours in the car, Josh got down on one knee on December 10, 2017 and made sure the first thing he did when they had both made it to North Carolina was propose.

She said yes, of course, and that is how a pair of adults playing in the dirt on a kickball field found their soulmate in one another.

Things to Do

Armature Works

Tampa Riverwalk

The Sail Pavilion

ZooTampa at Lowry Park

Busch Gardens Tampa Bay and Adventure Island

The Florida Aquarium

David A. Straz, Jr. Center for the Performing Arts

Tampa Theatre

Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park

Tampa Museum of Art

Sparkman Wharf

Datz

Ciccio Water

Jackson's Bistro, Bar & Sushi

Bern's Steak House

Columbia Restaurant

Oxford Exchange

Taco Bus Downtown Tampa

4 Rivers Smokehouse

The Hall on Franklin

Dough Nation