L'Chaim!

Not many people these days get to say they met through mothers, but Jessie and Billy do. When Jessie’s mom Marla moved to West Michigan in 2015, she met Billy’s mom Julie and they became fast friends. Marla soon met Bill and Billy, the rest of the Belcher clan. As soon as Marla got to know Billy in person and Julie had met Jessie on one of her visits from DC, Julie and Marla would discuss how well their children would get along and that they would possibly be “trouble” if they met. Jessie, still living in DC at the time, had only heard fabulous tales about the Belcher’s on the phone of how much fun it was to spend time with the family, how great of a cook Bill is, and how well she would get along with Billy. The Belcher’s even showed up to Jessie’s Zaidie’s (Grandfather) funeral when she couldn’t make it. It’s a really nice feeling to know now that they were there for her this whole time. In Jessie’s mind, the Belcher family were people she really wanted to spend time with. It wasn’t until Jessie moved to Western Michigan herself at the start of COVID-19 that she got to meet Billy in person. As soon as Jessie met Billy, it was evident how correct their mothers were. They really couldn’t stop talking once they started. Except, they started talking in the midst of all of the COVID-19 shutdowns, so they only got to see each other in person briefly and with Jessie still wearing a mask. In the fall of 2020, once Jessie realized that she was texting Billy morning, noon, and night–their mom’s were even gossiping about it to each other over text– she began to realize her feelings for Billy were serious. They were serious enough to take the mask off and start spending more time with Billy. So, on December 24, 2020, Billy got a Jew for Christmas and he hasn’t been the same since. Not only did Billy get a Jew for Christmas, Jessie finally got to hang out with “the” Billy Belcher and his amazing family. Clearly, their mothers were correct about how well they would get along. Jessie and Billy got along so well that Jessie basically moved in after a month or so. Billy got to meet Jessie’s family, and Jessie finally got to hang out regularly with the famous Belcher clan. It truly felt as if Jessie had known Billy her whole life, despite having only known him in real life a short time. Jessie and Billy integrated their lives perfectly. Jessie got to meet all of Billy’s people within a short amount of time as he took her to about four weddings before their first anniversary. In Billy, along with his friends and family, Jessie finally felt as if she had found her place in the world. In September of 2021, Jessie and Billy’s roommates decided to start looking for a new place to live so Billy asked Jessie if that was time to start looking for their first dog. A few days later Billy saw on his Facebook that one of his friends was trying to rehome a blind, deaf, white mini-poodle named Teddy. A week later, on September 18, 2021, Billy drove Jessie to Farmington Hills to pick up a creature that would soon become their obsession, Ted the Poodle. Teddy fit into their lives perfectly, and he goes everywhere in his purse with them–including the local bar! Billy knew early on that Jessie was the one. In fact, he knew their first New Year’s Eve together. Billy took his time warming Jessie up to the concept of marriage and when he knew he had her absolutely head-over-heels in love with him, She knew he was serious, and he knew it was time to plan a proposal. When Billy decided to propose, he wanted it to be a surprise and Jessie is a pretty nosy partner. Billy realized it would be quite easy to distract Jessie with a photoshoot for Teddy when his Aunt Leslie would be in town, as she is a photographer and it would all appear normal. Billy popped the question with Teddy in his arms on August 6, 2022 in his parents yard, the house where they first met. Jessie said yes and tried to take the ring before Billy even finished asking.