You might have heard this from us before (or not), but we always love to tell the story! When asked how we met, there's always a second - a pause - while we look to each other with laughing eyes, a sigh & a smile. Ours is a simple answer, but very unusual & not at all expected by the people that ask. We actually met way back in 1996, at the ages of 4 and 9 years old. In 1996, Jason’s family PCS'ed halfway around the world, for a four-year station at Aviano AFB, Italy. Shortly after settling-in, the Guillemette family and McConnon family became very close friends, and we would often spend time together. We remember taking day-trips together to the tributary of a popular lake near our homes, where we would swim in the creek, skip rocks in the river, barbeque, and explore the tumbled dolomite rock trails & crystal-clear pools full of tiny fish and tadpoles. Those memories are some of our fondest from childhood, and Jason still recalls the times we spent there vividly. (Località Ponte Mezzo Canale) A hard part of military family life is grieving lost friendships. After sharing two years together, the McConnons moved back Stateside to San Antonio, and that was the last time we'd see each other for 18 years. Fortunately for Jason and his family, around that time the Walker family arrived at Aviano and became as close as family with the Guillemettes. 17 years later, Jason was working and living in Houston, while spending most weekends in San Antonio with his family, his brother Luke, and Lucas Walker (of the Guillemette/Walker clan). Meanwhile, Alison was working at a law firm in San Antonio, where she met Lucas. She asked Lu how he knew Jason's mom, Reine, with whom Alison had kept in-touch and become friends, as an adult. Lucas told her "that's my Other-Mother", and they discovered their connection to Aviano and the Guillemettes. After they became friends, Lucas told Alison that we should date. In fact, Lucas and Jason's mom, (without discussing it, as far as we're aware), told both of us that we would make a good pair, but it was almost a year before we actually met again. In 2016, on the day of Lucas' baby shower no less, Jason & his 5 year old son, Brayden, were meeting his mom for lunch. While Reine had also invited Alison to lunch, but didn't tell either of us about her plan in-advance. So we chatted over lunch, went to Lucas & Crystal's baby shower together, and continued to hang-out at Luke's apartment afterwards. All that day, Jason was waiting for an opportunity to ask Alison to go out. But it was never quite the right time. Finally, late that night, Jason asked if Alison wanted to leave the kick-back at Luke's and go get something for dinner. We won't forget how his brother, Luke, -oblivious to the subtext- shot up from his seat and shouted something along the lines of "Yeah we should all eat something! No worries, I'll throw some frozen chicken nuggets in the oven!"... We assured Luke that we didn't want nuggets, but the Two of Us were going to go out for dinner. The only place Jason knew in the area was a Brazilian churascaria steakhouse, which was a favorite of his. We went out for dinner and had a great time catching up and enjoying the food & drinks; before relocating to a nearby bar, when the restaurant made it clear that they were Closing the place down. We finally called it a night around 1am; after a full 12 hours together; following a lifetime apart. We went on a date the following weekend, and have been together ever-since: exploring and enjoying the world together, as it seems we were always meant to be.