They first met when they were both twenty-one years old through a mutual friend at a friend’s house. They were both dating other people but were in the same friend group. At twenty-two Ester had graduated college and moved out of state, yet remained friends with James. When Ester moved back to the St. Louis area, James graciously allowed her to stay with him and his girlfriend at the time while she regained her footing. Fast forward to a year later, both James and Ester had separated from their previous partners and they reconnected through a mutual friend at a concert. They realized they had feelings for each other and started a relationship and eventually moved across the country together to Portland, Oregon.
Ester and James took a weekend vacation to Bend, Oregon with their beloved husky, Kane. On Saturday, August 24th, 2019 they did a walking cave tour from 3:30 - 4:30PM. Afterwards, they decided to pick up Kane from their hotel and catch the sunset at Pilot Butte, the highest scenic view of Bend. After basking in the 360 view, James got down on one knee and asked Ester to marry him to which she replied, “yes!”