I first met Jake while training for my summer job in the education department at John Ball Zoo. It was my second day, and we were touring the behind the scenes areas. We walked into Red's Hobby Farm barn and there was Jake, cleaning goat stalls. My first thought was that him and his beard were cute. And my second thought was that I would love to date someone that knew how to clean a barn. From Jake's perspective: he had just dropped a floor mat on himself. He was gross and stinky. He saw my group of (mostly) college-aged girls walk in and thought, "Opps. Well there goes my chance with any of them!" Although Jake worked in animal care, and I worked in education, we crossed paths everyday and got to know each other pretty quickly. To be honest, I think I spent more time flirting with him by the stingrays than I did engaging with guests at the zoo! We had plenty in common to talk about, but it mostly revolved around our love of animals. He had worked at the zoo for years, and I had worked in dog rescue for years. We hit it off right away and the rest is history! Seven years later, we no longer work at the zoo, but have a zoo of our own. We share our home with a cat, dog, lots of fish, and lots of reptiles. We will always share a love of animals, and try to visit other zoos on every trip we take. Someday, we hope to have a hobby farm of our own. At least I know that Jake already knows how to clean out the stalls! -Chelsea