Elijah and Jessica met while working together at a local nonprofit - Mission Waco. Jessica was the director of the at-risk youth program and Elijah was there to volunteer with the youth. After many long afternoons of working together, leading field-trips, and driving buses of kids home, Elijah asked Jessica to “hang out” on the fourth of July. They shared their life stories, dreams, lots of laughs, and fireworks. On 7/15/2012 Jessica asked Elijah "so are we doing this thing, or what?"; they made it official and have been pretty inseparable ever since.

Their friend, Kristine, came into town under the guise of celebrating Jessica's birthday. Unbeknownst to Jessica, Kristine was actually Elijah’s eyes-and-ears for the day while he put together an elaborate plan to propose in the very place where they first met. On the way to Jessica's “birthday dinner”, Kristine suggested her and Jessica take a detour to “relive our Mission Waco days”. When Jessica walked in the door of the Mission Waco Jubilee Theatre there, sitting in the theatre seats, were all of their closest friends. Jessica walked down to the front of the stage, where her dad appeared and sat her in the front row. Up on the screen popped an animation of the storyline of Elijah and Jessica's relationship. Afterwards, Elijah came out from backstage, got on one knee, and said "are we doing this thing, or what?". Jessica said YES!