John and Katelyn met in 2005 during their Sophomore year of high school and were in the same sixth period Honors Biology Class. John was much better at biology than Katelyn, so when it came to the final dissection project of the year, Katelyn asked John to be her partner. Over the summer, Katelyn continued to find opportunities to ask John to study with her for their upcoming AP History Class in the fall, however, her efforts fell short and their schedules never aligned. After seeing each other at orientation a few days before school started, John and Katelyn continued to chat over MSN messenger and he eventually asked her to go to the movies with him. Shortly after that, they became "boyfriend and girlfriend".

Part of Katelyn and John's relationship was spent long distance. When they had the opportunity to visit each other, they would often go to zoos. They both loved the river otters for the fact that they are adorable, but they also mate for life. On a rainy December day, John took Katelyn to the Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle and rushed her to the otter enclosure. There, he asked her if she would be his otter.