Our story began during a typical deployment at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, where a simple disagreement over physical cash ended up changing everything. At the time, Jessica was serving as the U.S. Military Comptroller. She was responsible for enforcing a Pentagon policy that prohibited physical cash on base, but our allied nations still had missions that required it. As it turned out, the French military were the first ones to bring this issue to her office. One afternoon, a Senior Airman brought two French personnel in to resolve the matter. The moment we saw each other, everything else faded away. For Jessica, François’s smile stopped her in her tracks—it was love at first sight. François felt that same instant connection, struck by Jessica's charisma and aura, even though he was feeling a bit shy. We hit our first hurdle almost immediately: the language barrier. When Jessica asked him for his name, she couldn’t understand. So she asked François to write his name in her notebook, she didn't know what to make of the "ç," and between the heavy accent and the desert heat, we could barely understand each other. François didn’t want to be forgotten, so he sent an email later that day to thank Jessica for the welcome. Soon, he started "stopping by" the office more often. Our conversations quickly shifted from base logistics to the deeper things in life. Jessica was hesitant at first—after all, people don’t usually go on deployment expecting to find a forever relationship—and she turned down several requests to meet up. But François was persistent. Eventually, Jessica agreed to tea and lunch, and we never looked back. Our first real date was spent in François’s car, just driving around and talking about everything. By the time we had our first kiss, the language barrier and the heat didn't matter anymore. We both knew we had found the person we wanted to spend the rest of our lives with. The rest, as they say, is history.

François made the first move over WhatsApp. François sent a long, detailed message, laying everything out and explaining exactly how he felt. Jessica remember just staring at the screen, completely shocked by his honesty. Since Jessica has never been one to express deep feelings over text, she didn't try to type out a response. Instead, she asked to meet in person at the small food court at the Exchange. When we finally sat down together, François didn’t hesitate. He was direct, confident, and spoke with a certainty that Jessica had never experienced before. Seeing him so sure about us changed everything; in that moment, we were both completely smitten.

As our time in Qatar drew to a close, we shared one final, quiet escape that felt worlds away from the military base. For our first full night out as a couple, we traveled to Salwa Beach, a resort with white-washed architecture that felt less like the desert and more like a slice of Santorini, Greece. The setting was stunning, with a quiet coastline and incredibly warm water. After months in the high-tempo environment of a deployment, the stillness of the beach offered us a rare moment of peace. The resort was breathtaking and the food was amazing; it was our last month deployed together, and it couldn’t have been more perfect. Under the stars and far from the noise of the flight line, Salwa Beach became the place where we could finally stop being two soldiers on deployment and just be a couple starting our life together. It remains, easily, our most memorable date.

Whether we are halfway across the world or finally in the same time zone, we are a couple constantly in motion. Because of the long-distance nature of our relationship, we’ve learned to treat every moment together as a new adventure. We are always dreaming up our next big trip, but when we are finally home together, we’ve found that we love the simple things just as much. You can usually find us exploring a local museum, visiting nearby farms, or heading out to go fishing. And when we need a complete break from the outside world, nothing beats a good session of video games. After so much time spent miles apart, our favorite thing to do is simply be in the same zip code.

When it comes to our second favorite place on Earth (Japan will always be first), Scotland is the clear best second. François fell in love with the rugged landscapes, the deep sense of history, and the unique culture of the Highlands. He has always been drawn to the atmosphere there—he even holds a piece of land in the country, so we’ll definitely have to go back and check on the cows eventually! With Japan still holding the first place in our hearts, there is just something about the Scottish scenery that makes us want to go there for our honeymoon.

Meals have always been a cornerstone of our story, from the very first drink we shared to meeting the family over a hot grill. While our tastes have evolved since those early days in the desert, the company has always been the best part of the menu. For us, nothing quite tops the memory of that first Karak Tea we shared in Qatar; it was just a simple cup of spiced tea, but it marked the true beginning of everything. Since then, we've loved embracing new traditions together, especially the nights spent with family in France over raclette. We’ve realized that whether it’s a big feast of cheese and potatoes or a quiet cup of tea, the best meals are the ones we share.

Whether it was crossing the Atlantic or the Pacific, our travels have been about more than just seeing new places—they were about stepping into each other’s worlds. One of our most meaningful journeys was to France. With family being such a core part of life for us, meeting François’s parents and experiencing their joy firsthand was a highlight we'll never forget. Seeing where François came from made the distance between our two homes feel so much smaller. We also remember our massive trek from D.C. to Seattle, followed by a flight to Seoul for a best friend’s wedding. That trip was a major turning point for us; being side-by-side for such a big occasion made us realize just how special this relationship had become. To top it off, we ended that journey in Japan, which holds the title of our favorite country. No matter the coordinates on the map, these trips proved that we can handle long flights, new cultures, and big family introductions with ease—as long as we're doing it together.

A life full of love, joy and our family.

As we transitioned from military life to building our future, we traded the stress of travel for the quiet of the outdoors. One of our favorite memories was a completely spontaneous afternoon in France. We happened to pass a sports store, walked in on a whim, and bought a pair of telescopic fishing rods. Up until that point, the only fishing Jessica had ever tried was ice fishing, and François had never been fishing a day in his life. Neither of us really knew what we were doing, but we didn't let a lack of experience slow us down. We didn't bother with manuals or instructions; we just found a random lake and started winging it, hoping for the best and enjoying the quiet company. While we were busy figuring out how to cast a line together, the biggest piece of our future was already set in motion. François had actually bought the engagement ring two months before we even arrived in France, and as we moved through the whirlwind of Jessica’s return to the U.S., the excitement for what was coming next only grew. It was a season of "firsts" for us—the first time fishing together, the first big steps toward our shared home, and the quiet anticipation of a "yes" that would change our lives forever.