On March 11, 2020, t-7 days to the end of the world, we met at The Maverick in Tucson, with Nate's outstretched hand and a, "may I have this dance?" Jen said yes, and the dance ended with a, "holy crap, where did you come from and can we keep you?!" They danced a couple more times at Whiskey Roads that night, after Jen was introduced to Daniel Rose by a mutual friend, and took them to her second dance stop of the night. Everyone exchanged info and the plan was to continue developing a dance relationship between Tucson and Phoenix.
Luckily, in late April, Jen learned that her new Phoenix friends were still throwing dance parties, just like she was. She reached out to those "two incredible Phoenix dancers" to see if they'd want to join forces for an event. On May 15, 2020, the day the Stay at Home orders ended, they threw a Get Out of Your Home dance party in Tucson. It was at this event where Nate became interested in Jen, who was somehow convinced to join them at a huge, camping dance party in the forest over the upcoming Memorial Day weekend.
The Asian, camping and dancing cowboy couldn't get enough of the city-girl, dancing Angeleno who describes "roughing it" as a hotel without room service. They spent the next week together, dancing and getting to know each other. Jen doesn't date dancers, so Nate had to be abundantly clear that it was his intention to court her. Yep, he used those words. Jen was intrigued, but not convinced - until a traumatic week in Los Angeles in early June which resulted in ten, armed LAPD officers retrieving and returning her six-year-old daughter, that Nate was the real deal. On June 19, 2020 they made it official and never looked back. The courtship included dance trips to Vegas and Texas, myriad floats down the Salt River, thousands of laughs, and a partnership that is second to none. Nate proposed on Memorial Day 2021, after gifting Jen's daughter with a necklace: her birthstone surrounded by two hearts, Jen's and Nate's. Jen said yes.