Together, forever.

James likes to joke that he was chasing Erin for the better part of 15 years before he finally caught up to her. As fate would have it, their paths officially crossed on Friday, May 17, 2024. Erin lived nearby and stopped into Blue Shark in West Des Moines to visit her friend Maddie, who was bartending, and to watch the Nuggets playoff game. That night, Maddie noticed a patron at the end of the bar cheering for two Denver teams, something you don’t see every day in Des Moines. Erin quickly texted Maddie, “Do you recognize the cute bearded guy at the end of the bar? Is he normal??” One thing led to another, and Maddie introduced Erin and James. James slid down the bar, and the two spent hours bonding over Denver sports and discovering just how many times their lives had nearly overlapped before that night: living just ten minutes apart in a Denver suburb, spending time in Cedar Falls (where James grew up and Erin attended UNI), overlapping years in Des Moines before both individually moving to Colorado, and then both finding their way back to Des Moines in 2023. They talked for hours that first night, so Erin was surprised when James didn’t ask for her number before they went their separate ways. But neither could stay away for long. The very next night, Erin returned to Blue Shark for a late dinner to take-out, while James stopped in after his men’s soccer league game, hoping to run into “her” again. Ten minutes after ordering, Erin looked up to see James walking through the door and taking the seat next to her. Once again, they talked until closing time, this time making sure to exchange numbers. After that night, the two were nearly inseparable. The summer flew by in a blur of concerts, food festivals, travel to new and familiar places, late nights, giddy moments, and meeting each other’s families in August. James popped the question the day before Erin’s birthday on April 4, 2025, catching her off guard with their plans, and he absolutely nailed it. The proposal took place at Ledges State Park, with one of their close friends and a honking passerby there to capture the moment. The celebration continued with a surprise adventure to Central Standard, where they toasted with family and friends. Not long after, the couple dove headfirst into being newly engaged, with wedding planning and hunting for their first home together. They couldn’t be more excited to get married, celebrate with their closest family and friends, and begin this next chapter of life as a married couple, capping it all off with their dream honeymoon in Greece. Exactly two years to the day after their paths first crossed, they’ll return to May 17 — this time to begin their forever, together.