Local Couples Share Stories of How They Met

(ROCKWALL, TX — February 11, 2019) Editor’s Note: Each year at Valentine’s Day, Blue Ribbon News asks local couples how they met. Their stories are often sweet, funny and surprising. Sharing their tales of true love has become one of our favorite traditions – and one of our most wildly popular features.

Josh and Amy Deaton

Josh and I met at a restaurant in McKinney where he was a valet parker and I was a waitress. I was in college while he was a senior in high school. He told me he was in college but I quickly found out the truth after going to his prom. It was literally love at first sight to me. I couldn’t take my eyes off him.

It was hilarious watching him valet since this was a new restaurant. He didn’t have a system for the keys and tossed them in a bucket. People would ask for their cars and he would drive up in the wrong car. He’d act like he was getting it for someone else. I remember a lady holding her hand out for him to help her out of her car and he shook her hand introducing himself.

The first time he came to my house, he showed up with his speakers booming in his car. He had no idea I’d ask him to come in and meet my parents. He was wearing JNCO jeans and a pager. My parents asked me what in the world I was thinking. This still didn’t stop us from falling in love. He asked me to marry him three months later.

While married, he found out that I didn’t cook well because I over seasoned everything. My parents would come over for dinner and bring KFC. Josh would gobble it up not thinking. He quickly learned how to cook really well. After being married 20 years, we opened Sideways with our close friends to share his passion for cooking.

Marrying him was the best decision in my life. We are blessed with a son and daughter. Dakota is now in the Marines following Josh’s footsteps. Alexa is a Junior at Rockwall-Heath High School and works at Sideways. I couldn’t be more grateful for the life we have together.

Submitted by Amy Deaton. Amy works as a Mathematics Facilitator for Mesquite ISD while her husband Josh co-owns Sideways BBQ in Rockwall.

Alan and Laura Wright

Alan and I met in August, 2004 and married shortly after in June, 2006. A co-worker of mine and a friend of Alan’s arranged for us to meet. It was a casual meeting for lunch with a group of friends that Alan had gone to Rockwall High School with and it also happened to be during the Cowboy’s first pre-season game. Though Alan was initially enthralled with the game, he quickly turned his attention to me.

I would say it was love at first sight, but the Cowboys were playing! But I will say it didn’t take long for the ‘Boys to be put on the back burner.

Alan proposed to me in 2005 in my hometown just after he received my parents’ blessing. We were married the following June in Dallas at Perkin’s Chapel.

Though we made our first home in Frisco, when our daughter was born in 2009, we knew we wanted to raise her in Rockwall so we built our house and moved here in 2014. Other than our decision to marry, we both agree that moving to Rockwall was one of our best decisions. We love the sense of community that Rockwall offers. We enjoy raising our daughter in a town where our family has roots and alongside long-time family friends.

One fun fact about Alan and I is that we share the exact same birthday; People always think that’s so unique and fun!

Submitted by Laura Wright of Rockwall. Laura works as a Program Manager for Xerox while her husband, Alan, is a Systems Administrator for M&A Technology in Carrollton.

Tiki and Doyle Sherman

I showed up to race a sailboat for a Wednesday Night Beer Can Race. I was looking for my skipper’s boat on the trailer in the parking lot and couldn’t find it. I kept wandering around the parking lot. This nice man walks up to me and says, “You look lost. Can I help you out? My name is Doyle.” He courted me by taking me for sailboat rides in the evenings and letting me drive his boat. I ended up marrying someone that likes to sail almost as much as I do. We got married Mother’s Day weekend so we wouldn’t have to miss a regatta for our wedding.

Submitted by Tiki Sherman. Tiki and her husband Doyle are residents of Heath.

Jack and Amy Powers

I met my husband at the Rockwall Kroger in 2007. Late one evening, when the grocery store is typically desolate, I was buying groceries for my family – five children. A tall and handsome man came up to me with his finger pointed at me and said, “I find you attractive.” After I looked behind me and beside me, I realized he was talking to me! My heart skipped a beat and I got up the nerve to respond. After checking him out head to toe and toe to head, I playfully said, “You’re not so bad yourself!” Boldly, he asked, “Does that mean you will go on a date with me?”

I said, “As long as you’re not a serial killer.” Jack bantered back with, “My daddy was Greenville Chief of Police for 20 years if that helps.” I said, “No not really, but I’ll take my chances.” The rest is history and we are coming up on our eight-year wedding anniversary.

Jack and I are grateful for meeting one another, our safe community, the small town feeling, which I often refer to as my “Mayberry.”

Submitted by Amy Powers. She and her husband Jack are Heath residents.

Craig and Sheila Musser

I was home from college for the summer. While at a friend’s house, i was on the phone with my girlfriend, who lived in Houston. Sheila walked by the room and waved at me. At that point, we had never met. When I saw her, I hung up the phone and asked her out the next day. We were engaged four months later. In March we will celebrate 33 years of marriage.

Submitted by Craig Musser. Craig and Sheila live in Rockwall. Craig works in medical sales and also as a License to Carry instructor, while Sheila works at Rockwall Salons.

Jamie and Garrett Rice

We joke that we met over bacon. It was February 1994, and our church youth group was on a snowboarding trip to June Mountain, CA. My best friend and I were assigned to make breakfast, and we squealed as bacon grease popped and splattered our arms. Garrett came to the rescue, manning the griddle and capturing my interest. I was 17 and didn’t believe he was only 15. We didn’t stay in touch after the trip, as we were both dating other people, but ran into each other the following summer in Laguna Beach. I had graduated high school, he had turned 16 and bought a car, and we were both single. He walked me to my car and asked for my number, and we have been inseparable ever since.

We married in February 2000, within days of the six year anniversary of when we met. We moved to Texas the following month to build our careers, with plans to start a family. In 2007 we moved to Rockwall as a family of four, and in 2013 the month of February became even sweeter when we finalized the adoption of four of our kids on Valentine’s Day. Today we love to travel with our kids (affectionately dubbed “The Half Dozen”), have a rescued pit bull and a retired racehorse, and live in a well-loved never-ending project of a house just off of the square. We’ve been abundantly blessed and are looking forward to celebrating our 19th anniversary on February 25th.

Submitted by Jamie Rice. Garrett is a Battalion Chief at The Colony Fire Department, and Jamie works in Dallas and serves on the board of Empower 7 and Reinhardt PTA.

Christina and Ryan Lee

Our story begins with a mixture of fate and friendship and a dash of ‘it was meant to be’. You see when Ryan was 18 years old he worked at the local Starbucks in Rockwall. Meanwhile, all the way over in San Diego, California I was pouring my own lattes.

Then the summer of 1998, Ryan was transferred from his Starbucks to mine! I happened to be working that day and his teen Eminem look caught my eye. I was rockin’ my green coffee stained apron and tried to look as cute as possible. After his first day, I volunteered to show him around. Ryan became my very best friend. He was sweet, funny, and caring. We remained best friends for six years and on one faithful night we were out with a bunch of friends and he asked me if I wanted to date him. I told him we knew each other too well to date. I asked him if he was ready for me. I reminded him that I was needy, messy, and couldn’t carry a tune to save my life (which, is all still true) and if he was really wanting to be with me then I was ready for him… because you see, I have always loved him. Within weeks we were living together, then married in 2007. Today we have two smart and loving boys Desi (7) and Elijah (5) and a sweet new puppy, Chewbacca. We are truly in love and blessed.

Submitted by Christina Lee, a Royse City ISD teacher. Her husband Ryan is a local business owner at Smith & Lee Lawyers.

Scott and Diane Eller

In 1978, Scott and I attended Red Oak Elementary. Scott just moved to Texas from Indiana and he was the “new kid.” He played football and I was a cheerleader. We were both 12 years old. During a game, I never noticed a boy and Scott took off his helmet, and I noticed a blonde mop of hair. Scott would be my first crush. Two years later, Scott would be my first kiss, and through high school they dated, Scott was my homecoming escort when I won Football Princess.

Later I went to another high school, and we lost track of one another. Life took us in different directions. At the end of 2015, we reconnected on Facebook. I would ask Scott tax questions for my clients, and Scott said it would be best to talk, and meet in person. Fast forward – we had a few business meetings but it wasn’t long before we soon realized we were destined to be together through a Christian divine love. Our wedding theme was “First Kiss, Last Kiss.” We were engaged on Valentine’s Day of 2016 and quickly married March 2016.

Submitted by Diane Eller.