Starting forever

Summer 2014 my sister Laura, cousin Ceri and I went on a girls road trip out west. It was going to be epic, all girls, lots of adventure and heaps of fun - no boys. That’s exactly how it unfolded, until the last few days… We had called before the trip and Karen said both the boys would be home at the end of our trip and would love to show us around! She totally volunteered them to be subject to entertain us in Montana. Ty was living in Bozeman and Tell had come home from Ghana, Africa for a few weeks. We arrived in Montana not knowing what to expect, but hoping for the best. Tell was not as optimistic… We show up and visited with Karen. Terry was in the shop when Tell arrived. The first thing he said to Terry was, “Well Dad, are they 300 pound midwestern girls?” Terry replies with a laugh, “maybe all three together.” Tell… How rude! Obviously, Tell didn’t share this conversation with me till later. We had the best time together that weekend. Our connection was unlike any I’d known. We laughed, hiked to Indian caves, almost drown in the Yellowstone river, and star gazed all night. Tell, in typical male fashion, found the smallest blanket possible to share with me. I wonder if it’s because he wanted to get a close as possible without actually looking like a creep. It’s been said, “All good things must come to an end,” and that’s how I felt when I left that weekend. Why would I have such a magical connection, only for it to end? I couldn’t see any way anything would work with Tell. He was a wild child and leaving for Africa in a few days and had to just let that idea go. I thought, “Give it up Jenny, you don’t always get what you want.” Three years went buy. We stayed friends and our friendship grew. Eventually we talked on the phone everyday and a trip together, in person, was inevitable. We did two camping trips together summer 2017 and our relationship sparked. We found a way to be together and have been inseparable ever since.

Both farm kids from the Hager city Wisconsin area, our dads (Pete and Terry) went to kindergarten together and were best friends all the way to high school. They road dirt bikes together and went on a few epic road trips around the country right after high school (ask them about their trip!). Life went on. Terry married his honey Karen, and moved to Montana to be a mountain man. Pete married his love Andi and stayed in Wisconsin to Dairy farm. Life steered them 947 miles apart and made it difficult to stay in touch. But the plot thickens… Nick Even, my mother Andi’s dad, bought a farm right across from Marge and Howard Dietzler, Terry’s parents. They became best friends and I grew up seeing them when I visited Grandma and Grampa. Now, my Grampa Nick had mules and one stubborn donkey, which he loved to trailer all over tarnation. And that’s quite a feat since it’s almost impossible to trailer a stubborn donkey. Turns out, Howard and Terry had the same passion (horses for Terry, mules for Howard). For years I would hear about Grampa taking his mules and donkey out to Montana for pack trips in the mountains with the Dietzlers. As a kid, I saw pictures and videos of the trips and thought it was the coolest! We also received Christmas cards from the Dietzlers, but I didn’t think anything of it. Tell’s hairstyle changed every single year. From blue to green to dreads… weirdo.

Summer 2018 we played, road tripped, and camped all over. We had the time of our lives! On July, 22nd 2018, we hiked up the Crazy Mountains to Tells favorite spot. We had a breath taking view of a mountain lake and nature beamed all around us. It felt like heaven. Little did I know, this trip would be unlike anything I’d ever done. I was swinging in his hammock, enjoying the view of the beautiful morning mountain lake when Tell came over. He said, “I love you and I want to keep doing adventures like this with you forever.” I said with anticipation, “Can we?!” Without a moments hesitation he said, “It’s up to you.” With that, a sparkling ring was staring at me. With desperate love in his eyes he continued “I never want to wake up with out you. I love you so much. Please, please say yes.” I could hardly believe that our “good thing” didn’t have to end and it could last for the rest of our lives! My favorite person, my crush, my man, my best friend asked me to be with him forever. Overwhelmed with joy and happiness, tears streamed down my cheeks, I said, “ Yes! A million times yes!” I thought, “Finally, he's mine to love forever.” That’s our story. Our Dads and Grandparents where best friends for many years, but we didn’t know each other until nearly 5 years ago. My all-girls road trip out west turned into the one of the best weekends of my life with a boy. Our relationship grew via phone and a few airport visits. In our late 20’s we were perfectly happy being single until we discovered the love we had for each other. We took a step of faith and dated. All not planned. Life has it’s way of being magic. Terry says he can sum up the whole story with this line, “You chased him until he caught you.” We were meant to be and it’s been a magical journey. I feel incredibly blessed. We love you. Thanks for being interested in our story. ❤️Jenny and Tell