Love in the BOI: Kylee & Cody

Describe How You Two Originally Met. Be Descriptive

Cody & I met on the school bus (in Meridian) Cody was a 6th grader and I was in 8th grade. It was the ‘cool thing’ to sit in the back of the bus, so I let Cody be my bus buddy. He was this adorable little chubby boy who was still in his braces & just so innocent. We actually had the same bus stop & has to walk in the same general area to our houses. We became friends over the next year and enjoyed our morning talks on the bus & walks home talking in the afternoon. We joked that we would date later in life, because he was too young for me. That led to saying hi in the high school hallways and talking every now and then when we’d run into each other.

Describe Your First Date and/or First Memories Together.

We ran into each other at the Chevron gas station on Eagle rd on July 3rd 2013. I had been graduated for a year and hadn’t seen him since. We chatted in the parking lot for a few minutes then said goodbye and went our separate ways. In the fall of 2013 I had just moved to Texas for an adventure of my own, Cody was entering his senior year of high school. He dm’d me on Twitter and we starting talking again then we exchanged numbers. After a few days of talking Cody joked that I should move home that summer since he will officially be 18 and graduated from high school & we could date. I was coming back home for Christmas break and Cody wanted to take me on a date, I agreed. The evening of December 7, 2013 Cody picked me up from my parents house, came up to the door and introduced himself to my parents (scored major points with my dad) then opened my car door for me. He ended up taking me to The Village because I hadn’t been there before. We talked, walked around and realized it was December and freezing. We went to Lucky Perk off Eagle Rd. And had some coffee/hot chocolate and continued talking. Afterwards we both didn’t want the date to end so we went back to his house and watched Friday Night Lights the movie, because he was making fun of me for watching the series but never seeing the movie. We cuddled and watched the movie and continued to hang out almost every day for the next 5 weeks while I was still home from Texas. I was planning on moving home in the summer so we agreed that we wanted to try distance and make it work. I went to his high school prom and that’s when he said I love you for the first time. Cody then went on to college in WA and NM to continue playing baseball. I stayed in Boise and we did distance for 4.5 years and have been together for 7 years now. We will be getting married this summer July 17th 2021. I wish I could go back in time and thank my 13 year old self for making the best decision by picking a Cody to be her bus buddy. He’s my everything ❤️

Why do you love living in Boise? Describe some of your favorite things to do in Boise and/or Idaho together.

Both of us were born and raised in Meridian ID and grew up about .5 miles apart. We love Boise for so many reason; first off of course our families. We continue to go to Sunday night dinners and rotate to each other parents house. Secondly the outdoors, Idaho is so beautiful and has so many things to do and see. Cody is a hunter and loves archery!! We love the lakes to go boating, jet skiing and camping. Going up to Donnelly & McCall spending weekends with friends. We love hiking with the dogs and floating the Boise & Payette rivers. Cody loves going skiing every weekend in the winter. We love how Idaho has all 4 seasons, both of us leaving Idaho during college we became grateful for the seasons. I missed the mountains & fall when the leaves are changing colors. Texas definitely didn’t have either of those.

What advice do you have for those searching for love?

Your person is out there, somewhere. They may be closer than you ever imagined and they will come into your life at the right time. Do not force anyone to be in your life if they want to leave let them. The right one will come along when you least expect it, cheesy I know. But I found that to be so true, Cody was .5 miles away from me for YEARS and things worked out exactly how they were suppose to, when they were suppose to.

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Thank you Kylee and Cody for sharing your #LoveInTheBOI story! Give them a follow on Instagram at @kyjmueller @c.reilly13

Love in the BOI: Jessica and Brent

Describe How You Two Originally Met.

We originally knew each other from high school, but He needed help finding pants for a dinner party in college, and I spent nearly an hour showing him around the store and helping him find a pair, all the while chatting and falling pretty hard. He spent the next month trying to track my number down, and finally sent his mom in for it, called me two days later, and we talked almost every night from then on. That was 17 years ago and so much has happened since.

Describe Your First Date and/or First Memories Together.

Haha I went with him to a company Christmas party for his moms business and met his. Whole. Family! Thank goodness we were smitten and I really got along with everyone, we ended up at a friends house after dinner, and then a movie, and then talking until the wee morning hours, we didn’t want that first date to end.

Why do you love living in Boise? Describe some of your favorite things to do in Boise and/or Idaho together.

We moved here while still dating, back in 2006, he had several job offers right out of college but we both decided Boise seemed like the best fit for our future together, so we made the leap and moved in together the summer after graduation. We were engaged 5 months later, married in March and bought our first home in Boise. We loved camping and hiking, we still do, but back then we could load up and get out of town anytime we wanted to, the mountains were our favorite place to be. Now with 3 kids our trips look a little different, but we still try to get out with them as often as possible, and we’ve introduced them to many of our old favorite camping spots, it’s fun to show the girls pictures of us camping there as newlyweds or with our first pup, and they look for the similarities of those spots to now.

What advice do you have for those searching for love?

Have fun, take trips, and adventure together. I tell everyone I know who gets married to go on a few trips together before you get married, if you can still love each other while getting lost or reading a map or parking a camper or trailer, then your golden

Thank you Jessica & Brent for sharing your #LoveInTheBOI story! Give them a follow at @jnorrisr @bnorris82

Love in the BOI: Victoria & Terrence

Describe How You Two Originally Met.

Terrence and I never thought we'd meet our future partner through a dating app. Yet, that's how it started. I was about to delete the app, tired of the mindless scrolling I did when I was tired or bored when I came across his profile on a Friday evening. There was something...different about this one. Immediately I set my phone down and did something I hadn't done in a long time, prayed. If it wasn't a match I was going to go through with deleting the app. If it was a match then I prayed for him to be my future husband, that it would be the next step of my journey to love. I picked my phone up, swiped right, and wouldn't you know...it was a match. Terrence and I met on an app where the female has to initiate the conversation. I had no clue what to say so I started with something sincere. 'I hope you had a great Friday and that you have an awesome weekend' or something like that. Terrence responded right away and by that Monday, March 16th, we were on our first date. That day Terrence asked for my number whereas every other guy I met through the app kept the conversation but never 'made a move' and didn't bother to talk outside of the app.

Describe Your First Date and/or First Memories Together

In Terrence's words, our first date was unconventional and amazing. March 16th was the day Boise started closing. We had made plans to meet at one place but had to change them due to restrictions being set in place due to COVID-19. Even with everything starting to become clear to us and more uncertain of what the future looked like with this virus we kept the date. At the restaurant we were able to talk so freely and comfortably that the waitress was almost 'unwelcome' because her visits to the table interrupted our conversation. At this point I don't think either of us knew this would be our first and last public outing together for quite awhile. We were eventually kicked out so the place could close early for the pandemic. Even though we had to exit the building we both didn't want the night to end. We spent the next few hours getting to know each other and our 6 o'clock date lasted until close to 10. Warranting, of course, a second date. Time went on and so did COVID AND our relationship. On November 1, 2020 Terrence got down on one knee and proposed right outside the restaurant we first met at, in front of the Boise sign!

Why do you love living in Boise? Describe some of your favorite things to do in Boise and/or Idaho together

Terrence and I both grew up in Boise. I found myself leaving for a few years but coming back because I truly call Idaho my Idahome. Throughout quarantine Terrence and I were able to get to know each other on a deeper level because we couldn't do the 'normal' dates. Dinners and movies went out the window and were replaced by late night drives. We found ourselves driving the back roads, exploring Lucky Peak on our paddleboards, and romping around the many foothills Boise has to offer. We truly love it here! The sun is bright and the snow is beautiful. We have a great combination of city and rural life. The mountains are inviting and the people are fun! I truly don't see us leaving anytime soon.

What advice do you have for those searching for love?

Our advice would be to recognize your past relationships and more so notice what you were missing in them. Our pasts, despite having many ups and downs, led us into being the people we are today. Let go of judgment and really get to know people instead of following dating 'norms'. Ask questions! Even though they may be uncomfortable talk about the big topics in life-the deal breakers. This will help you in being up front, avoiding hurt later, and finding your ideal partner sooner. That's what we did. Our first date Terrence and I talked about the three things you're NOT supposed to bring up on the first date: exes, politics, and religion. On our second date we had questions for each other in relation to our futures: kids, career, goals. Don't put on a front and let things happen. Find peace in yourself and maybe even try a dating app or two. Put effort into your profile and who knows...you might find your honey too.

Thanks so much for sharing your #LoveIntheBOI story!

Give Victoria and Terrance a follow at @vplaster @tport21!

LOVE IN THE BOI: Sara & Tony

How did you two meet?

We met playing volleyball at Camelsback park. When I first came to Boise from the Midwest on a clinical rotation, everyone was so welcoming and inviting. My friend and I actually found Diana early on during our rotation here through Boise Bucket List on social media, and at one of her events we met someone who then invited us to hang out with their friend which ultimately led to the invite to come play volleyball with a fun group of people, and I’m happy that Tony was out playing that day (: I had no idea then that we would stay in touch and I would end up moving to Boise permanently.

Describe Your First Date

Sorry Tony I don’t remember what we would call our first official date. I know he probably made me dinner or something before this, but one of my favorite early memories together is when he wanted to show me Kirkham hot springs, and we didn’t really plan out if/where we would stay that evening but just ended up sleeping under the stars in the back of his truck. That might have been when I first fell in love... with his dog who was snuggled up next to us and keeping me warm that night 😂

What are you favorite local things to do & places to go? 

Skiing/snowboarding Bogus Basin, hiking in the foothills, camping in the Sawtooths, soaking in hot springs, watching Tony play guitar at his church

What is one word of advice you have to those who are still in search of love?

Say yes to opportunities here, including showing up to events posted on social media or going to a park to play games with a random group of people.. even if you don’t know anybody, people here are so welcoming and friendly, and you never know who you could meet!

I met Sara when she attended a BSU tailgate event I was hosting back in 2018. She was here for an internship, and I’m so happy she found #LoveInTheBOI! Follow Sara and Tony on their adventures together at @sarajscarbs and @t_hubz

LOVE IN THE BOI: Rylee & Christopher

How did you two meet?

Friend of a friend

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Describe Your First Date

First big date we had, Chris surprised me and took me to the Del Mar fair in California and also surprised me with hunter hayes tickets so we got to go see him live after we walked around the fair. We made bracelets together their at the fair that resembles our love for each other! It was very magical. He is good with surprises!

What are you favorite local things to do & places to go?

We love to go to 10 barrel brewery and get the sprouts there as well as getting a flight of beer! We love going to the hot springs in lowman. We love doing a lot of adventures and spontaneous things when we get days off together.

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What is one word of advice you have to those who are still in search of love?

Just wait for the right one. Your time will come. Don’t rush anything! God will bring you THE ONE

Thank you Rylee & Christopher for sharing your #LoveInTheBOI story! Make sure to follow them on Instagram at @ryleecorrsles and @chrisfleenor_

LOVE IN THE BOI: Lauren & Detrik

How did you two meet? 

Through my high school friend. They are cousins and she introduced me to him.

Describe Your First Date

We met in high school so we mainly hung out at my parents house or my friends house. I met him the first time YMCA when I was working as a lifeguard.

What are you favorite local things to do & places to go?

We love to go hiking & adventuring with our 3 kids! Anything outdoors is our favorite place to be. Our favorite place to go with the family is Donnelly at my families cabin.

What is one word of advice you have to those who are still in search of love?

Don’t give up on love!

Head over to laurenstillwaugh and detrikstillwaugh and follow their journey. Thank you Lauren & Detrik for sharing your #LoveInTheBOI story

LOVE IN THE BOI: Megan and Jacob

Meet Megan & Jacob. A “free” meal led to conversation, a second date, and now true love.

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How did you meet?

An online dating app.

Describe Your First Date

The Habit burger grill restaurant in Meridian. I wanted a free meal, LOL. I wasnt expecting anything as I wasnt even sure I wanted a relationship. When I first saw him outside my heart did a flutter, he looked so much better in person then his pictures online. We got food and talked it was so easy. He talked a lot as he was nervous. We walked to the park behind the Village of Meridian. We talked forever there asking questions sharing stories and then he came to my house and we watched a movie and talked all night. It was one of the best dates of my life. We were open and honest. I had a bad marriage that ended. He also was out of a bad relationship. We connected on a lot of things. Even silly things like our favorite color being red. We both have strong values. He was from Louisiana and had that southern charm. I have never met a man who is so amazing, loving and kind. Recently I asked him if he remembered our first date and he said yes and he even remembered what I was wearing. I remember what he was wearing too. It was a simple date, I didn't need anything fancy or crazy. That date changed my life and made me see there was true love out there.

What are you favorite local things to do & places to go? 

We go downtown shopping, pumpkin patch, balloon festival, potato drop. We take my kids to the trampoline parks, climbing gym, antique stores we love! Fixed up his old Mercury cougar. Scentsy light tunnel, walk around the Boise river, workout together.

What is one word of advice you have to those who are still in search of love?

When you don’t expect it, love will find you.

LOVE IN THE BOI: Megan and David

From End Zone to Friend Zone to #LoveInTheBOI. This is Megan and David “DMac” love story.

Where/how did we meet?

We met at a college party 3 years ago and my best friend was in town. At the party, Dmac asked my best friend for her number..whoops. Then we became friends after that (meaning I friend zoned him), and would hang out all the time. During the summer of his graduation and me going into my sophomore year of college we started seeing each other at church every weekend and started hanging out more and the relationship just started from there (meaning I finally gave him a chance ;)). 

Describe our first date

We went to Asiagos for our first date and after dinner we came home and went in the hot tub with some wine. That night we stayed up talking & laughing till around 3 am <3.

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What are our favorite local places/things to do?

We love to go to the movies, it is probably the date we go on the most. Bodovino, Barbacoa, Luciano’s, and Flatbread are our restaurants we like to eat at frequently for date night!

Advice for those still searching for love:

Stop searching!! Our relationship started when we both were not expecting it at all. I was in the mindset of not even wanting to talk to anyone and just focus on myself and my relationship with God. Dmac also felt the same exact way. The saying, “Love always comes when you’re not expecting it”, is 10000% true. Start focusing on yourself, make yourself happy, and love will come (we promise <3).

Thank you Megan and DMac for sharing your #LoveInTheBOI story! Make sure to follow Megan and Dmac on social media for all their adventures.

LOVE IN THE BOI: Ellis and Jackie

What happens when you look past a bad first impression? Marrying your best friend & finding #LoveInTheBOI. Meet Ellis and Jackie, and this is their love story

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How did you two meet?

We met in college at an on campus, food services position in Indiana (at the other BSU). Oh lord, first impressions were definitely NOT a thing. This boy came in singing at the top of his lungs. All I could think was, “I can’t work with this guy for two hours...” 🤦🏻‍♀️

But there’s more…

Haha Well, when I got into school I wasn’t much of a social butterfly around people I didn’t really know. I kind of made up my mind that I was never going to date someone in a fraternity because all you hear about frat guys and NEVER date someone younger than me. “All” guys are less mature when they’re younger. Well, that mostly worked with all the guys I dated prior.

Then, one day I was working a shift at the atrium and I was waiting for the new person to come in. I had seen his name on the sheet for my shift, but had NO idea who he was. At this point I had worked there for a couple years and really didn’t have the patience for newbies. When it was time for him to come in he came in singing at the top of his lungs who knows what’s wrong.

All I remember thinking was, oh my goodness why?! At this time I actually had a boyfriend so I wasn’t even thinking about guys in that way. So, time goes by, we just really ever saw each other at work. Sometimes a couple of my other girlfriends and I would ask him if he wanted to go to the bars and what not… Which he couldn’t because he was only 19.

Eventually my boyfriend at the time and I broke up. I was giving Ellis advice on girls at work and he would do the same for me and ask all kinds of questions. About eight months later, after realizing that this frat boy wasn’t like the stories and I could be ‘me’ around him, I finally gave him my number. It took him two weeks to text me!! Come to find out, like this year, he had actually messaged me a couple months prior asking if I wanted to go to coffee. I kind of blew him off… By kind of I mean I actually really did blow him off. I basically told him that I had homework and I’d have to let him know! Eventually it was time for Christmas Break, so we both went our own ways, in which I thought very little of. When we got back we had to have a training session for our job and he actually saved me a seat. I kind of gave my girlfriends what the heck look and sat behind him instead! Months later, four to be exact, after working together, we both finally realized we want to hang out and get to know each other.  

He invited me over to have popcorn and watch a movie… But that’s totally not what happened. He called me as I was on my way to his house and let me know that his fraternity was having a party at his house for a big and little sis. At the time, I had NO clue what it was. Essentially, one of his frat brothers gets completely wasted and “gains a little sister”. when I finally got there I had to carry this brother up the stairs to the house because he couldn’t walk anymore. That was just the start to this crazy night! I get in there and Ellis kind of pulls me to the side and says by the way, there is a girl that may have an issue with you being here. I was a little caught off guard because I didn’t know about any other girls. Come to find out this girl and he had texted off and on, but she never really committed to seeing him. So he just kinda let it go. I was pretty uncomfortable at the party already, but now there was this random girl.

Towards the middle of the party he comes up to me and says just so you know, the girl is here, and she wants to go outside and talk. If you want you can go into my room and hang out there until I get back. This… Is when you are supposed to run! In the back of my head I thought all I have to do is leave and then I never have to see him again. But I didn’t. I went to his room found a WARM Keystone tall boy...(ew!) and chugged it to take the edge off. While I waited a few of his frat brothers came in and introduce themselves and made me feel welcomed until Ellis came back. Turns out, the girl was pretty upset that he was there with me and yelled at him for 45 minutes! Ellis came back into his room with the saddest most defeated face. He walked in and apologized. And when you thought it was over, it wasn’t! The girls “big sis” came in as continued yelling at him. SMH! Finally, when it was over, he close the door so I donis bed and looked at me in the eyes. He asked me, “so will you be my girlfriend?” 😳

I told him that we should probably let everything simmer down for a bit… Proceeded to do “chubby bunny” which essentially is squishing my face and asking the bus driver to open the door. I got a chuckle out of them and then we ended up staying together that night out of pure wanting to be around each other. The next day we finally decided that we would date and made it official. However I never did say yes!

Not until he asked me to marry him about a year and a half later…

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Describe Your First Date.

Oh dear… Technically we didn’t have a first date right away and we can’t agree on what our first date actually was! Let’s be honest, it’s been a minute. We hung out with friends and at work most of the time. He thinks our first date was one night where we played one on one basketball, but he was late. The gym ended up closing 10 minutes after he finally got there! Afterwards, we ended up talking until 4:30 in the morning. In fact, I was 2 1/2 hours late to my job the next day because I slept through my alarms!

Now, I would say that our first date actually occurred when I came out to Idaho to spend a month with him and his family. We were on our way to Cortolane and stopped at a Mexican restaurant. Worst. Food. Ever! Now that didn’t matter though… We had a blast in the car jamming out to music and talking on our way! We ended up camping and then making the drive back the next day. Fast forward about two years and we would be doing the same thing at Lake Cascade, only this time he asked me to spend the rest of our lives’ adventures together.

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What are you favorite local things to do & places to go?

We LOVE riding from Ann Morrison into downtown (no matter the weather), checking out Brew Pubs, and hitting the hill for some skiing, boarding, hiking, or mountain biking!

What is one word of advice you have to those who are still in search of love?

Persevere.

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Thanks to kickboxing, I’ve personally met Jackie and Ellis. Jackie is kicking butt (literally) in class, and sometimes I see Ellis join her. Head over to @jackie_pintar & follow her.

Thank you Jackie & Ellis for sharing your #LoveInTheBOI story!

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LOVE IN THE BOI: Joel & Samantha

Meet Joel and Samantha.

Treefort Music Fest connected these two. From a Facebook add to a first date, Treefort is the backdrop to Joel & Samantha’s #LoveInTheBOI story.

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How did you two meet?

I had just moved to town and was a music journalist looking to make music scene connections in Boise. As such, I was told I should add all of the Facebook friends of some of the Treefort organizers to gain connections! One of them happened to be Joel.

Three days before we started talking, my best friend passed away and my long distance boyfriend of two years dumped me via email (same day). I was heartbroken and needed someone but was new to the city and wasn't sure who I could actually talk to and trust. That's when Joel appeared in my life in a completely random way.

Although, I honestly believe the universe gave me this amazing friendship and relationship to help me heal in the most beautiful way possible. He asked if he knew me so I told him my name and he told me his via Facebook messenger and then I said, "There, now you know me." After that, we chatted for a while and I told him to send me a picture of him looking 'hot'. That's when he sent me the photo of him doing a duckface into the camera. I turned to my dad at that very moment and said, "I swear to you, I'm going to marry this guy." Six years later, and we just celebrated our one year wedding anniversary.

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Describe Your FIrst Date

It took about a year for us to realize we really needed to stop kidding ourselves and get together. That's why, for our first date, we covered Treefort together as a team representing our successful local music magazine, Boise Pulse. It was a whirlwind of chaos and silliness but, the whole time, we went from being friends to truly falling in love with each other. By the end of it, there was no denying that we actually needed to date and not just be best friends any more!

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What are you favorite local things to do & places to go?

We have a few favorite things to do: We LOVE going to the Spacebar and Grinker's because they both also let us show our nerdy sides! We also quite often get the Groupon to Asiago's in downtown when we have a birthday or anniversary. It's kind of our little date spot for sure. On top of that, we love to see live shows in downtown, especially for local bands, and we also hike all over from Camel's Back to Jumpcreek Falls to Seaman's Gulch, and everything and anything in between! We truly enjoy where we live because it allows us to have all of our hobbies and interests available at once!

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What is one word of advice you have to those who are still in search of love

Hopefully this doesn't come out as corny but, really, love isn't something that happens overnight and, at least in my case, what started as a beautiful and long-lasting friendship led to a relationship that truly feels like I get to spend every single day with the coolest person on the planet! With that being said, my word of advice is truly to stop looking for the 'perfect' boyfriend/girlfriend or husband/wife and just let fate run its course. You never know— the person you call your best friend could very well become the love of your life!

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Make sure to follow these two love birds at @twolosersjourney. Thank you Joel & Samantha for sharing your #LoveInTheBOI story!