Our Story

When Jane found herself back in Sioux Falls she decided to beertend at Severance, on the ground floor of her apartment complex. She worked full time at the hospital, but pouring beers would help her meet neighbors. She had always been good at talking to strangers. Serendipity struck when she crossed paths with Khizar: his wife Mia worked with people she knew well at the medical center. Living and working so closely, it was inevitable that they would eventually attend a Backstreet Boys concert together. And then it was inevitable they would be friends.

Peter had a habit of flying places on long weekends. Khizar and Mia were two of his best friends: he’d trained with Mia at Ohio State. He was already planning his next trip to Sioux Falls when Khizar messaged: “Got a girl for you,” he wrote. “Christian. Big personality. Beautiful. I’ve never seen someone have more fun at a concert than her at the Backstreet Boys show lol.”

The introduction over a weekend in Sioux Falls was easy, auspicious, but nothing followed immediately. They were two flights and a time zone away. Peter sent a message or two. Jane responded politely. But eventually Jane was single and Peter was overdue for another weekend in Sioux Falls. Their first date was at Parker’s Bistro. “Are you glad you came?” Jane asked him on a rooftop after the date. He was.

Dating long distance meant enduring cramped airplanes and nights in airports. He flew to Sioux Falls and she flew to Columbus. Chicago was a middle ground that didn’t require connecting flights, and they liked it and kept coming back. They met in Denver, and San Diego. They visited Jane’s family in Iowa, and Peter’s brother in Louisville.

When Peter took her to the shores of Lake Michigan at the end of the spring he was sure she knew why; Jane says she was surprised. The overcast sky parted conveniently, so that he could propose in the sunshine, on the sand.

They have been engaged all summer long.