Jim will tell anyone who'll listen that he knew Lexi was going to be his wife the day they met. Their first date was a weekend in Dallas. Jim flew, Lexi drove and from the moment they found each other he pulled out all the stops. Dinner at The Charles with a bouquet of flowers, bottomless mimosas at brunch the next morning where he accidentally let an "I love you" slip too soon. Etta James' A Sunday Kind of Love played at every single restaurant they walked into all weekend. Even at the airport when they said goodbye, it came on one more time. The universe was not being subtle. What followed moved fast and felt exactly right. Two weeks later he whisked her to New York City for the very first time, wandering cobblestone streets, stumbling into jazz clubs, ending up at an underground bar where over espresso martinis they finally just said I love you to each other. Three weeks after that came New Orleans, his hometown, where she met his family and fell in love with where he grew up. By Summer 2023, Lexi moved to Denver for the summer and they spent every single day together, hiking, eating their way through the city, having what she still calls the best summer of her life. Jim met her dad Roger and before she left for deployment he traveled to Tulsa to meet her mom and friends. In July 2023, Lexi deployed to Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia. What was supposed to be three months stretched to six when the conflict in the region escalated. Through all of it, Jim FaceTimed her for hours every day, sent care packages, and met every hard moment with the same steady reassurance that this was only making them stronger. That time apart, more than anything, is what made her certain he was the one. The moment she got home, she packed a U-Haul and moved to Colorado for good and he was right there helping her every step of the way. Since then, they've built exactly the life they both wanted, hiking and snowboarding on weekends, spending time with great friends, long dinners and in June 2025 moving into their second place together on South Pearl Street in Denver. That September, knowing Fall in the Colorado mountains is Lexi's favorite season, Jim took her to a private property outside Carbondale near Aspen. He made his famous breakfast sandwiches, set up a picnic with flowers and asked her to dance. Their dog Gumbo ran circles around them with the mountains stretching out in every direction. “A Sunday Kind of Love” came on the speakers. “Then At Last” by Etta James. And he proposed on one knee! Now they get to enjoy the best part, celebrating with everyone who means the most to them! L & J · 2026