not us getting married!?

Jeanette and Ivan’s paths had crossed long before they actually met. Their families were intertwined— with Ivan’s mom and aunt being Jeanette’s teachers back in elementary school, and Jeanette having a class with Ivan’s sister in middle school. Small world, right? Fast forward to the end of sophomore year. A mutual friend, playing matchmaker, thought Jeanette and Ivan would totally hit it off, so they suggested Ivan send Jeanette a message after learning they have a lot in common. So, Ivan mustered up some courage and slid into Jeanette’s DMs, telling her he thought she was cute. Jeanette, slightly caught off guard, responded with a nervous “hahaha thanks!”—and then, crickets. The conversation totally fizzled out. But, of course, things weren’t done yet. While grabbing lunch with this friend, it was casually mentioned that Ivan also loved The 1975—a band Jeanette was obsessed with. So, what do you do in that situation? You awkwardly Snapchat him, of course! And that’s how their conversations picked up again. Fast forward to June 2, 2017, their first date—and yep, their first kiss. Even though they lived on opposite sides of town and neither of them had a car, they didn’t let that stop them. The distance made their connection stronger, and they found creative ways to stay in touch, like staying up way too late talking or finding sneaky ways to visit each other. As time went on, things got more serious. They adopted their first fur baby, Frankie (RIP), in February 2020. In October 2020, they took the plunge and moved in together. By August 2021, they had their first cat, Evee, and by November 2023, they’d added another fur baby, Gracee, to the mix. The big moment came on December 16, 2023, during a Christmas tree decorating party that Ivan and Jeanette’s sister had planned. As the lights twinkled and everyone was laughing, Ivan had a little surprise up his sleeve. He secretly placed an ornament on the tree with a ring inside, but the ornament needed a key to open it. While Ivan was trying to steer Jeanette’s attention to the key, she was way too busy munching on appetizers and playing with the family’s cat. Finally, Ivan couldn’t hold it in anymore and revealed he’d found the key. Jeanette opened the ornament to discover a ring box inside. When she turned around, there was Ivan, down on one knee, ready to dive into forever. Here’s to Jeanette and Ivan—two kids who started as strangers, became best friends, and have shared a beautiful journey of love and growth for the past seven years. And here’s to the laughter, the love, and all the adventures that still await!