Jess and Nate first met in 2018 in Duluth, Minnesota, when Jess was starting college and Nate was playing junior hockey. They met through mutual friends and stayed in touch, but it wasn’t until a visit to Bentleyville in 2020 that things really began to click. They started dating shortly before Nate left for basic training and kept in touch through handwritten letters while he was away. Over the next few years, they navigated long distance with Jess in Duluth and Nate in Colorado, making the most of visits and planned trips. After graduation, Jess moved to Colorado for her first job, and their relationship continued to grow. When Nate’s career brought him to Utah, Jess moved too. After five years together, through long distance, a pandemic, and plenty of shared adventures, Nate proposed during a trip to Minnesota—back where it all started.