Lisa and Ify agreed to meet on a day when she was taking her dog, Humphrey "Bogie" Bogart, to the lake for a run. Ify joined along wearing flip flops and a t-shirt. Later he would feel quite bad about this poor choice in attire. As soon as he got in her car they began chatting, she realized he pronounced his name "Eee-Fee" and felt some relief. They sat on rocks looking out at the lake until Bogie had eaten at least 2 dead fish. However she did not feel that the dog had been satisfied, and asked Ify if he would like to go with her to another park.

They drove to the second park, and Ify kept quiet about his bad shoe choice as Lisa marched them up and down the Flint Hills. After a few miles, he took her to his house and showed his poster of Cristiano Ronaldo on the wall. He did some dancing. She laughed a lot. She took him to her house and he started perusing her entire book collection. They discussed Russian authors. He danced some more.

That weekend, Lisa went to a wedding of a very close friend from college. She told everyone she had met this Igbo boy, and it seemed crazy but she thought she might marry him.

In October of 2017, Lisa was moving to California to start a new job. It seemed a bit crazy to invite Ify to go along with her, but he was planning to return to Nigeria soon and they wanted to spend more time together before he left. They sold all that they could, packed everything on top of a Prius, and took off west. Lisa was still feeling nervous, but Ify assured her that he loved her very much.

They stopped at the Grand Canyon, and sat on a bench. Lisa looked out over millions of years of formations, and thought how quickly they had formed something so strong. She told him she loved him too.

A few days later the situation changed and they would have to return to Kansas. Lisa was heartbroken. She watched a lot of shows about British baking competitions. Ify took care of Bogie and cooked Lisa jellof rice. He told her stories about Nigeria. He reminded her how lucky they both were. He reminded her that the worst things often bring the best changes. She realized she never wanted to go through anything without him again.

Everything Ify assured Lisa came true. They found a new path. They moved to Taos, New Mexico. They fell in love with mountains and river streams and sagebrush and sky. They adopted another dog, Arrow, and bought their dream home. They have never been happier.

In August of 2023, Lisa and Ify welcomed their son Ambrose Obiora Hamer Okeke. Ambrose, for his great-grandfather, and Obiora, which is Igbo for "heart of his community." He is perfect in every way.