We first met in May of 2019 at a horse farm in Riegelsville, PA. Sarahs dog, Odin, started going for daily Gator rides to drag the trails with James. James, who was mostly a stranger at the time, would go driving by the front of the barn with Odin riding shotgun as if he had known James his whole life. Sarah always says Odin chose his dad.


After working together for a month James was offered a couple tickets to an Iron Pigs baseball game by his boss, Ed, who looking back at it, gave James a not so subtle suggestion to ask Sarah to join him at the ballgame. James took Eds advice and Sarah, not being much of a baseball fan, surprisingly said yes!


At the game we chatted about our hobbies and passions in life, getting to know each other laughing all the way. Sarah was particularly interested in Jamess archery abilities and asked if he was any good. His response You see they guy out there in right field? I could shoot him in the eye. James was blown away with Sarahs love for the outdoors and her desire to explore more both on foot and horseback. We made a deal at the game to be adventure buddies and explore more of Pennsylvania and New Jersey together.


On a local hike with the dogs, on July 1st, 2019, at the Lake Nockamixon Spillway to the Tohickon Creek, James decided it was time upgrade from adventure buddies and ask Sarah to be his Girlfriend. The rest of that year flew by hiking all over PA and NJ, almost dying driving to Arkansas for Chuck Wagon Races and meeting Sarahs family in Illinois.

In October of 2021 we made the big leap of purchasing our first home! After covid caused us to move from Pennsylvania to Northern Illinois in the spring of 2020 we started the shopping process. Our little home on 10 acres started off as a yard with 9 acres of cornfield. The addition of pastures, horse shelters, a barn addition, a chicken coop, a new porch and A LOT of gravel has made our property a home.

On a camping trip to PA in 2023 James made the most “us” engagement a girl could ever ask for. To celebrate our 4 year anniversary we arrived in Pennsylvania on June 30th. On the morning of July 1st we had planned to take the dogs back to the creek where we first started dating. Much to Sarah’s dismay James was up first thing in the morning going a million miles an hour with breakfast and coffee already waiting. Thinking there was no rush on the first day of vacation, Sarah wasn’t thrilled…

Once we arrived at the creek, while Sarah was exploring with the dogs, James set his phone on video and surprised Sarah with a happy anniversary card that changed her life for the better. He got down on one knee in the creek and of course she said YES!