Celebrate with us!

Jan’s version: As a day out in Old Town Scottsdale was winding down, my friends and I decided to catch the UFC fight at a local favorite bar called Firehouse. The bar was packed with standing room only, so I found myself shoulder to shoulder with a few guys who I didn’t know. As the first round of the fight wrapped up, I spotted a beautiful girl with blonde hair, bright blue eyes and tight red pants. She was gorgeous and I was a big fan right away. I decided I would approach her when the time was right, but to my luck she ended up walking towards me to say hello to her friend who was standing next to me. When she finished saying hi to him she moved right on to me and introduced herself, “Hi, I’m Ali”. It was at this moment that I thought Old Town Scottsdale was the greatest place on earth where beautiful women introduced themselves to you! We ended up talking for a while and I asked her on a date to which she agreed. The rest is history. Ali’s version: In 2013, my friend and I went to watch the showing of a UFC fight at a bar called Firehouse. I saw someone I knew and went to say hi. While talking to my friend I noticed a guy standing next to him, looking at me. Not wanting to be rude and thinking he was friends with my friend, I introduced myself. We hit it off immediately and before I left, we exchanged numbers. It wasn’t until our first date I asked him how he knew my friend Eric, to which he replied, “Who’s Eric?”

In April of 2019, Jan and I planned a trip to Havasupai with my sister, Cass, and brother-in-law, Phil. The trip involved a 10-mile hike in and out of the Grand Canyon, daily 8-10-mile hikes to various waterfalls and 3 nights of camping. The morning of our second day, we planned to hike to the largest waterfall in Havasupai, Mooney Falls. We hiked the short distance from our camp ground to begin the descent. As you approach, the first thing you see is a sign: “Descend at your own risk”. Then after making your way through a couple of tiny caves you see a line a people scaling their way down a 200-foot drop using chains and ladders. Everything was wet from the splash of the falls. I think we were all pretty scared, but we very slowly made our way to the bottom. Once we were there, and all very happy to be alive, I asked Cass to take a picture of Jan and I in front of the falls. We stepped in front of the massive waterfall and as I looked at her, I noticed Jan was backing away from me. When I turned toward him, he had already taken a knee. Before I knew it, he was holding up a ring and asking me to marry him! I said “yes”! And followed up with a “thank you”. And that’s the story of our engagement! We're so excited to celebrate this next chapter in our lives with you. See you in Scottsdale!