Tony and I first met in Mr. Moritz's typing class in 1978. Tony sat in front of me and took a lot of opportunities to turn around and visit! Although we both attended Slayton High School our entire childhoods, we never shared a class again, so that was the extent of our communication in our youth. After we graduated from school, we both went our separate ways, and had families of our own.

Fast forward to July 14, 2022, and Tony found himself back in Slayton...and at Key Largo. I wandered in to watch volleyball and Tony started to chat me up...just like in typing class.

It turned out that he knew our granddaughters were in the same class in Madison, South Dakota. That news was definitely a "hook" that developed into a longer conversation. Over the next month, we continued to communicate and reconnect. Tony was living part of the time on the Johnson family farm place, and working in Albuquerque, NM, and staying with his brother and his family. So, over the fall and winter of 2022 and 2023, we had a long-distance relationship. However, Tony made many trips over the winter to come back to Slayton and check the farm. :)

In May of 2023, Tony came back for good, and we've been pretty much inseparable since. On November 27th during the full moon, Tony proposed under the willow tree in the front yard. We both knew we didn't want a big wedding, so on March 15th, we eloped to St. Paul and were married at the State Capital in the rotunda at 3:15pm.