Leslie was born on the small island of Kodiak in Alaska but grew up in Silverton, Oregon. John was born and raised in Phoenix, Arizona. We met while attending the University of Dallas in Irving, Texas. At University Leslie studied fine art while John studied biology. We met in Human Figure Drawing class....amid naked tooshies...oh my! Leslie continued her education at UD, receiving an MBA in Non-Profit Management. John sought greener pastures at Texas A&M. Instead of green pastures John got the brown fields of "Brownfield" Texas where he researched the Lesser Prarie Chicken. John graduated with his Masters in Wildlife Biology in May of 2008. We were married on July 20th, 2007. Looking for a true adventure we accepted an assignment to serve in the United States Peace Corps as Environmental Volunteers. We currently live in rural Viti Levu, Fiji.