Mike and Jess first met in February of 2019, online of all places! After years of spending Saturday nights alone, with no one to hang out with, they both finally got brave enough to dive into online dating. After the initial small talk via text, they met in-person for the first time at a local coffee joint.

They started talking about all the random things in our lives; little did they know that conversation would be the beginning of their lives interweaving together. They immediately clicked while sharing their military experience. Jess has spent over twenty years in the Army, while Mike served seven in the Navy. Mike remained brave when Jess disclosed that she was the single parent of three kids and decided to forge an independent relationship with each of them.

As luck would have it, all of Jessica’s siblings had nestled their lives in Idaho. They seemed to approve of Mike. As time had passed, Mary was getting impatient and threatened to have an intervention and have the family propose to Mike, if he didn’t hurry up and propose. But that is not Mike’s style. Mike is thoughtful, diligent, and prepared. So, he did it on his terms. He proposed on November 23, 2023, and Jess and Mike set out to plan a destination wedding in Mexico.

In the past five years, Jessica and Mike and become best friends. They spend time in each of their homes, with the kids, and traveling. During their courtship, they have traveled Yellowstone, the Redwoods, Indiana (where Mike's family is from), Las Vegas (every February), and have taken their travel trailer to numerous locations. They enjoy spending time together and are excited about new adventures to come.