Chris and Jess met in August of 2013 when they were both student teaching at Manhattan High School. They bonded over their positive approach to the process and interest in German music and even collaborated in designing lessons around the German composer, Johannes Brahms.

Chris and Jess stayed in touch after student teaching as Facebook friends. Jess went on to teach in Ellsworth, KS and later Haven, KS. Chris started grad school at Kansas State and taught for a semester at Baker University. In the fall of 2016, as Chris began teaching at Seitz Elementary at Ft. Riley, he slid into Jessica’s Facebook DMs and asked for ideas for a music and art night he was planning for his multicultural club. Chris and Jessica then met for coffee at Radina’s Bakehouse on October 29th, and the rest is history!

For the first seven months of their relationship, Chris and Jessica put many miles on their vehicles driving back and forth between Wichita and Manhattan every weekend. They rarely missed a weekend. When Jessica's dream job at her alma mater, Riley County, opened up, she jumped at the chance to come back home to teach. How convenient to now have an excuse to live in the same city as Chris! ;) Chris's dream to finally teach German was realized only a few weeks later, giving him another good reason to stay in Manhattan.

After Chris returned from his professional development trip to Germany, he and Jessica decided to spend their summer mornings off from school drinking coffee and going for walks. Chris knew this would be a great way to surprise Jessica with his plan. On the morning of July 24th, Chris took Jessica to breakfast at their favorite coffee shop and first date spot, Radina's Bakehouse. After, they went on a hike at the Konza Prairie, where they went on their second date and had their first kiss. When they got to the scenic overlook at the top of the hill, Chris took Jessica off the trail into the grass and said, "When I kissed you here the first time, I knew that this is the place I would ask you to marry me." And she said YES!