Jon and Shelby were introduced by a close mutual family friend. She was buying a car from Jon and gave him Shelby’s number. Jon did text her but she was busy starting up her chiropractic office and “ghosted” him for a few months. It wasn’t until Shelby‘s mom convinced her to text him back. Shelby was in a dark stage of her life and thought why not try, if anything you could gain another friend. Needless to say, it was an instant connection! They had their first date on December 8, 2020, and then ended up doing Christmas together with each other‘s families. It was fast but it was because it was meant to be.

April 16th, 2021 Jon and Shelby were in Bozeman MT for a wedding and decided to go on a hike. They were with Remington and Erika, two of Jon’s good friends. Jon and Shelby were from a very flat state so the hike definitely was difficult for them. They had to take many breaks on the way up the hill, but that was ok because they were able to take in the scenery. During one of the breaks, Erika was taking pictures of them and said “ok, now it’s time for a funny photo.” Shelby turned around to see what Jon was going to do for the funny photo and he was on his knee.

The first couple of months after engagement were amazing! The time was cut short when Jon was deployed on August 15th, 2021. He is to be overseas for about a year. It has been hard being away during the holidays but they have been able to Facetime as much as possible. The worst part (besides the distance) is the 8 hour time difference! Since he left, they have bought a house and welcomed a new fur baby to the family. Even with the distance, it has made them grow closer as a couple. It has been hard! But it has made them realize how much they love each other.