Isaac and Leanne both graduated from the University of Portland school of Nursing, but their paths did not cross until 2018 when they found themselves working in the same Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at Portland Veteran’s Hospital. By March of 2020, Leanne had invited Isaac to join her on a humanitarian trip to Pamplona, Columbia, to which he enthusiastically said ‘yes’! They worked there together at the local health clinics providing care to refugees leaving Venezuela and entering Colombia. Their trip was ultimately cut short with the ‘new’ disease of Covid-19, and made it home safely on one of the last flights out of Bogota. By fall of 2019, they had both decided to make career changes. Leanne accepted a job in labor and delivery just outside of Bellingham in Washington State, and Isaac left nursing to get involved in commercial real estate. They both made the move up to Bellingham, and in their free time could be found paddle boarding on the bay, hiking in mountain forests, and skiing and snowshoeing around Mt. Baker.

In the fall of 2021, both Leanne and Isaac had plans to move to Spokane. Isaac’s commercial real estate acquisition needed full time work, and Leanne decided to take a position as a travel nurse in a labor and delivery unit at Spokane Valley Hospital. The day before the move, Isaac mentioned that he REALLY wanted to go paddle boarding one last time out to Chuckanut Island on the Bay. At that time Leanne was completely overwhelmed with the amount of packing that remained, but through Isaac’s incredible persistence, she finally consented. Unpacking their rain jackets from the boxes, they set off to the beach at Teddy Bear Cove where they surprisingly found numerous seals playing in the water. To Isaac’s amusement and Leanne’s uneasiness, the seals began to chase them as they set off across the water to the island. Once safely on the island, they walked the shore together and watched the sunset over the water. Isaac took this perfect opportunity to propose, and Leanne happily said ‘Yes’! Their only audience was the seals, poking their heads out of the water. Joyful phone calls to family members took place before Leanne and Isaac paddled back to shore accompanied again not only by the seals, but this time by a beautiful and very rare bio-luminescence in the water as their paddle boards cut through the waves. Leanne and Isaac are excited about their future together, and especially look forward to a fabulous wedding celebration with their friends and family next June 25th!