It all started in Spanish class at Davenport Assumption High School, where two teenagers bonded over inside jokes, awkward conjugations, and a shared sense of humor. That’s where we gave each other the nicknames Elmo and Grover—names that somehow stuck with us long after we graduated.

We dated briefly in high school, but even after going our separate ways romantically, we remained close friends. Jordan even proudly wore Jake’s football button while cheering on the sidelines—proof that the connection never truly faded.

After high school, life took us in different directions. Jake eventually moved out to Utah, and Jordan built a life in Chicago. Though we lived miles apart, we’d still exchange the occasional text or birthday message over the years. (Jordan even wrote on Jake’s Facebook wall in 2011: “Happy Birthday Grover! Love you forever!” — maybe she was onto something.)

Fast forward to June 2023: Jake reached out on Snapchat, saying he’d be in Chicago over the 4th of July weekend visiting his best man, Austin, and asked if Jordan wanted to grab dinner. She was intrigued (and maybe a little suspicious) and asked, “Is this a friendly dinner… or a date?” Spoiler alert: it was a romantic inquiry—and Jake confessed that Chicago wasn’t actually part of his plans. He just wanted to see her, even if it meant coming all the way to Davenport, where she already had plans to be for that weekend.

From their first dinner at the Hotel Blackhawk, it was clear the old spark had never left. They spent that entire weekend together, laughing, reconnecting, and reliving memories—while making some unforgettable new ones. (Check out the Things to Do section of the site for all the places they visited that weekend!)

After that magical weekend, we decided to give love another shot—this time long-distance. From Utah to Chicago, we texted, FaceTimed, and counted down the days until we could be together again.

Then, on Christmas Day 2023, surrounded by Jordan’s entire family and twinkling lights on the tree, Jake got down on one knee. It was a proposal filled with love, joy, and happy tears—absolutely perfect.

In January, Jordan officially made the move to Utah. Just a month later, in February 2024, we found out we were expecting! With a little luck—and a blessing from a very special guardian angel—Jake’s work brought us to Chicago just months before our little boy was born.

On September 21, 2024, we welcomed our greatest adventure yet.

Now, we’re beyond excited to start this new chapter as husband and wife, and we can’t wait to celebrate with all of you who have supported us along the way. Thank you for being part of our story—we’re just getting started.

Q + A coming soon!