We're taking the plunge!

Jeff and Ivana met while taking a small business development class run by the county. As Jeff tells the story, he walked into the room, immediately noticed Ivana and said, "That girl... I won't be sitting next to that girl." Instead he sat a comfortable distance away where he could be mesmerized without attracting any attention. After everyone presented their business idea, Ivana approached Jeff--who had a handyman business-- and asked if he would be interested in upgrading the laundry vent for her dryer beneath her house. He said yes, hiding his true excitement, and she then asked if he would be interested in working for trade and receiving massage therapy, to which he was also delighted to say yes. The first time Jeff came to Ivana's house to assess the dryer situation, he immediately fell in love with Dryfus, the dog, and his crush on Ivana only grew. Ivana had a boyfriend at the time, and Jeff, thinking this other man was getting wise to his feelings, asked out Ivana's roommate to deflect the energy of the situation. A very wise move that kept Ivana, and her boyfriend, oblivious to his true feelings. Ivana and Jeff continued to trade work on and off for about a year and then lost touch after he went to work in California. When he returned, he called Ivana to see if she was still doing massage work, but found her on a month long road-trip around the country. She referred him to another therapist, but Jeff decided to wait for her to return. Days after returning from her road-trip, Ivana's dryer broke, a true inconvenience for a massage therapist and Air BnB host. She called up Jeff and asked if he could repair the dryer which he immediately said yes to. Jeff, however, repairs homes not appliances so he listened to YouTube dryer repair videos on his drive to her house. He successfully got the machine running, but it broke again after a few cycles. He came back for another repair attempt and they spent more time together in conversation. Ivana honored her half of the trade for the two failed repairs with a two-hour massage, which is when Jeff offered to take Ivana out for sushi instead of eating her half-artichoke from the night before. After a brief hesitation, Ivana agreed, surprising and delighting Jeff. They both had a great time. Ivana remembers him being polite, easy to laugh, and so unassuming she couldn't tell if he was intending on a date vibe or not. A true gentleman. After the third time her ancient dryer broke, Ivana decided to call it quits and made to purchase a new one. But the story didn't end there as her house continued to conspire to bring the two together. The final repair that sealed the deal was a leaking skylight and a plan to attend the Celtic festival together. Jeff arrived in the evening with a can of tar and Ivana pulled on her blue coveralls excited to climb up on the roof to assist him. Jeff was very impressed by her willingness to help and get her hands dirty. He also remembers the coveralls fondly. While razoring off old sealant and applying the new, they got to talking about relationships and such. When they finished, Ivana changed and they headed for the Celtic fair in Ivana's Miata with the top down. Unfortunately, they arrived too late and the gates were closed. Ivana whipped a fast u-turn and drove them to the duck pond in her neighborhood. They walked along the pond until it got dark and then laid down in the grass to watch the stars. Jeff smoothly reached out to hold her hand and Ivana accepted. After a couple hours of talking, singing, and watching the night sky, Ivana drove them back to her house. Jeff said goodbye to Ivana on her front porch, kissed her gently, and then walked to his truck and headed home. From there, the rest is history.... Oh yeah, they also went to New Zealand.

For those of you who cannot attend in person, please join us on Zoom for the ceremony. Ivana & Jeffrey's Wedding Time: Jun 22, 2022 05:15 PM Arizona Join Zoom Meeting https://us06web.zoom.us/j/4946605169?pwd=UWtNV05MaWFsa0NGaXFNTkZ1NXJVUT09 Meeting ID: 494 660 5169 Passcode: Love2022