It was January 2019 when Jill embarked on what she thought was going to be a 4-month stay in San Diego, CA to complete her externship before graduating from grad school. She was ready for a new adventure and excited to crash with and mooch off her sister, Holly, and her brother-in-law, Bobby. Little did she know that on the very first day she arrived, Sunday January 12th to be exact, she would also be meeting her future husband. Jill and her dad, who had joined her for the cross-country drive, dropped their bags off and headed straight to the Barn Brewery, which was the bar Holly bartended at, just in time for the Chiefs game. Holly was working behind the bar and Jill and her dad were joined by Bobby who also invited friends, one of which happened to be Bryan. Jill found herself seated next to him at the bar where he introduced himself as "Ham" - a nickname he received during his time in the Navy because they refused to try to pronounce his last name (it definitely stuck because she didn't end up finding out his real name until weeks later). Jill and Bryan hit it off during that first conversation and became fast friends. And even though Bryan says he had a thing for Jill from the very beginning, they were strictly JUST friends for quite some time (they even went on a double date once paired up with other people). Bryan offered to show Jill around San Diego since he had been living there for 9 years at that point. They ended up spending a lot of time together throughout the next few months - scootering around town, enjoying beach days, concerts, a spontaneous trip to LA, and many many beers back at the Barn.

As the end of April 2019 was nearing, Jill was preparing to head back to Missouri for graduation and then straight to Nashville, TN for the summer. Bryan was also preparing to leave San Diego to work as a wildland firefighter in Wyoming. It was the night before Bryan left town that he decided to confess his feelings for Jill. She was shocked to say the least, but deep down she knew there was something more than just a friendship there. This only became more evident when they were apart and realized how much they missed one another. There were absolutely no days off as a wildland firefighter, but if the crew worked on a fire that lasted more than 2 weeks they were promised 2 full days off. Bryan kept telling Jill that if that happened he was going to fly to Nashville the very next day. In mid-July the crew was called to a fire in Alaska. They weren't sure how long they would be there and there was no service for Bryan to keep in touch with Jill while he was there. After more than 2 weeks of no contact, Jill was thrilled to get a call from Bryan saying that he was on his way back from Alaska AND had already booked a flight to Nashville. He had to make quite the journey to get to her... he flew from Alaska to Wyoming, drove 7 hours to Denver (the closest airport), slept in the airport overnight, then flew to Nashville in the morning. They only got to spend a little over 24 hours together before he had to make the same journey back to Wyoming and head straight to work. Jill couldn't believe that he did all of that just to see her for such a short amount of time. That 24 hour trip changed everything and solidified what they probably already knew in their hearts - that this was the real deal. After the summer they both moved back to San Diego and this time around they got to experience it together, as more than friends. & that's just what they did for the next 4 years!

On December 28, 2022, Bryan surprised (like REALLY surprised) Jill by popping the question on the beautiful, palm tree lined Belvedere St. in La Jolla, San Diego. They had just completed the 20+ hour drive from Corpus Christi, TX in a rental car after multiple cancelled flights. Jill was eager to return to see her parents while they were still in town, but Bryan was eager to get back for a different reason. They had spent the last 5 months doing long distance and it had finally come to an end. Bryan told Jill that he had planned a "date day" for the two of them to celebrate being back in the same city. The perfect day began with a manicure/pedicure date (with wine!) followed by a couples massage. Next up Bryan told Jill that he wanted to take her to get a drink somewhere in La Jolla, but wanted to park and walk down to the water first since he hadn't seen the ocean yet since he'd been back in town. There was a photographer in the middle of the street capturing photos of the palm trees. Bryan asked if he could take a picture of Jill real quick, so as to not ruin her shot, and she said yes. Bryan told Jill to turn around and put her arms up for another picture and when she turned back around he was down on one knee. The photographer in the street was all a part of Bryan's plan and she captured the most beautiful shots of that special moment. The pictures (check out the gallery page) truly show just how shocked and overjoyed Jill was! After all of the squeals, tears, kisses, hugs, and laughter in the street - they walked down to the water with the photographer in tow snapping pics and playing their song on a speaker. They popped champagne down by the water and heard many cheers and congratulations from strangers walking by. It felt like a scene out of a movie. The best day ever... until June 20th, 2024!!!