We met through eHarmony and instantly clicked with one another. We exchanged many long emails and phone calls before our first date on November 8, 2010. Our first date was at Wynkoop Brewery in downtown Denver. What was supposed to be dinner turned into a five-hour date filled with shared laughter and food. We both left looking forward to a second date

It wasn't long before we clicked. We spent the next several months getting to know each other better. Before long, we were talking about having the kids meet one another. In April 2011, we met at the Denver Zoo to make introductions. While the kids were a bit skeptical of each other first, it didn't take long for them to bond. The rest, as they say, is history.

On Christmas 2016, the kids gave us a box of cards. Each card was labeled for when they should be opened - "When you're Sick", "On your birthday", etc. One of the cards was labeled "Open when you are ready to pop the question". So on Christmas Day 2017, Derek did just that...he proposed! It was a special moment with just us and the kids and could not have been more perfect.