In the late summer of 2014, Stephanie visited her high school friend Jennifer in Montana. It was an amazing trip, and she truly fell in love with the mountains. Later that fall, Jennifer called and mentioned she had recently visited Denver, CO, and said, "This is the city for you! And there are beautiful men there." It was a foreshadowing of the future ahead.

Just months later, Stephanie was recruited to work for a small restaurant chain in Cheyenne, WY doing Human Resources. In March of 2015, she moved to Fort Collins, CO for the job. In June 2015, she was recruiting for an open IT role and had a phone interview with an enthusiastic candidate. When he came to interview, he wore a suit, had braces, and his head was nearly shaved. Jonathan had a smile that lit up a room, and he definitely made an impression. They became co-workers and friends.

Stephanie took a new job in Broomfield, CO, in October of 2016, and in early 2017 Jonathan called to ask her on a date. She was thrilled. She had missed his smile and his crazy stories about going to Mars. Let's just say greater Denver had not yet produced an ideal mate, and a familiar face (without a bushy beard) was welcome. Shortly afterward, Jonathan took a new job close to Broomfield, and later that year, they relocated there together. They have been together ever since.

In 2018, Stephanie was recruited back to Texas, and she invited Jonathan to join her and Izzie Cat. She was so happy that he said yes, and they relocated to Irving, TX, in June of 2018. (Jonathan calls Texas the "opposite world" where the water from the tap is hot and the rain is too. He was never a fan of the cold, so he has embraced the warmer weather and will tell you he's from Texas now.)

They had over two great years of fun, family, and travel, and then....COVID. In February 2020, Jonathan had planned the perfect Valentine's Day date with dinner at Fogo De Chao (Stephanie's favorite) followed by the symphony at the Meyerson in Dallas. It was a wonderful night, but little did they know it would be a long while before they did anything like that again.

Fast forward to Christmas 2020. They had both been working from home in a small two-bedroom apartment for the last ten months, and things were not always easy. As they wrapped up opening presents at Stephanie's parent's house on Christmas day, Jonathan turned to her and said, "I have one more gift." He handed her one that she began to open. It was a sign they had seen together recently, and it said, "And so the adventure begins." He then ran up the stairs and disappeared. (They had spent much of 2020 talking about getting an RV and hitting the road. They would work remotely and explore the country.) Stephanie's brother then said, "It's pulling around now..." Stephanie was convinced Jonathan had bought them an RV. But minutes later, he came down the stairs, got down on one knee, and proposed. She said yes, and the whole family cried. It was a truly magic moment.

They have since bought a house and moved to Flower Mound, TX. They love it there. Stephanie has (another) new job, and they are both still working from home. Izzie Cat commutes daily between their offices.

They love to travel together and have been to the Dominican Republic, Gulf Shores, NYC, Napa, Chicago, Salt Lake, Palm Springs, and all over Texas and Colorado. This year, they went to Disney World for the first time, and they are excited to honeymoon in beautiful Maui.

So, it all started with a girl who took a trip to Montana, and to her surprise, she ended up with a boy who was born in Montana. They hope to visit Montana together someday soon.

Share Your Photos!