I was 25 and had just moved back to the U.S. from Spain. I had no intention of staying in Chicago, it was just a stop before the next adventure. At the time, I was mildly annoyed with my best friend, Tiffany, because she had started dating a guy. We were young, the world felt wide open, and I didn’t think we needed boyfriends getting in the way. “Dump him!” It’s good she didn’t listen, they are now on their 17th year together with three kids. One afternoon in Wicker Park, I called Tiffany and stopped by her boyfriend’s house, and that’s when Ryan walked up the stairs holding a baby blue Schwinn bike and said, “Hi, I’m Ryan.” It’s wild to think that in that ordinary moment, I was meeting the person I would spend the next sixteen years with and eventually marry. We went to Downtown Sound at Millennium Park and North Coast Music Festival, and I remember laying on the lawn at a Grace Potter show, in jean shorts, Tiffany’s “Happy Bodega” T-shirt, and green cowgirl boots, putting my head on his thigh. From that moment on, we were connected. We spent weekends ordering pizza and watching TV, still one of our favorite things to do, and double pepperoni, extra crispy, became Ryan’s love language. About a year in, Ryan asked if I would move to California if he got a promotion, and just like that we packed up the 4Runner, our cat Rasta and headed to Venice Beach. We spent almost two years there figuring life out, then moved to Boise, Idaho. In my mind I was moving to the countryside. I’m from Chicago, I lived in Europe and big cities, Boise was not it, this had to be temporary. Buying a house felt like a forever decision, but Ryan thought it was a good idea, and then we bought two chickens. Boise slowly became home. Ryan poured himself into music, and I built an Interior Design and Real Estate Business. We were chasing ideas and creating a life. There were road trips, camping, music festivals, and what we still call “Idaho moments.” Then Mexico entered the story. We went to a friend’s wedding in 2018 and fell in love with San Pancho, the ocean, the sunsets, the community, and the slower rhythm of life. We had just found out about my cancer diagnosis a couple weeks before. The doctor said go to Mexico, have fun, and we’ll start chemo when you return. Ryan showed up for me in ways I could not imagine, lying in the hospital bed playing Yahtzee and always keeping my spirits up. In 2021 we said, “Remember that small town in Mexico? let’s go back.” Sometimes I think we walked those streets not knowing how life would unfold for us there. Somehow, the girl who once thought Boise meant being stuck forever ended up building a life across places, projects, music, multiple businesses, and two countries. Through it all, Ryan has been there, still dreaming, still creating, still inspiring me. There is no way I would have this life without a dreamer by my side. As I close this, I’m sitting on our terrace in a home we built in Mexico, with our cat Frankie in the sun. We are in this ripple of expansion, not only in business but in our love. Ryan would always say “I would marry you tomorrow,” and with a surprise proposal at this very table, it feels fitting to end here. I can’t wait to celebrate 16 years of love with everyone. We will see you at the beach. Love, Jen