When people ask Maria "How did you two meet?" she'll often reply with the statement, “It was just like a movie. A total meet-cute moment, where we plopped into each other’s lives at a moment neither one of us expected.”

On January 27, 2022, Maria, then a Captain at SkyWest Airlines, was sitting on Reserve at the Denver Airport. Getting called for a trip, she grabbed her coffee and decided to stretch her legs and make a lap in the B Terminal before boarding her flight. As she was walking, she spotted a tall hunk-of-a-pilot with strong arms and a (very) nice fitting uniform talking to the gate agent at gate B53. Maria didn't live in Denver and was awaiting a transfer to be based back in Salt Lake City, so she dismissed the idea of this man being available. She figured he was already married, and if he wasn't, what would be the point of long distance? Giving herself any excuse as to why he wasn't available, she took a moment to adjust her bags, and continued walking.

Will had already departed from gate B53 as a Check Airman for SkyWest Airlines and was headed to Gunnison, CO. Due to unforecasted snowy weather at the destination, they returned to the gate. Unbeknownst to them, their flight had been canceled. After deplaning, Will stopped at the ticket counter and chatted with the gate agent and a passenger about the cancellation. After a few moments, he grabbed his bags and started to head to catch his flight back to Dallas, when he noticed a cute blonde SkyWest Captain as she was making her way through the terminal.

Their paths naturally brought them together, and the two of them exchanged the standard pilot talk."Where are you based? What airplane do you fly? What does the company have you doing now?" When they got to the middle of the terminal, where trains take people to baggage claim or other terminals, Maria expected this tall, handsome pilot to say, “See ya, have a good flight!" but instead he lingered for a few moments and they continued chatting.

The two continued walking and eventually ended up at Maria's flight. Neither one of them had the guts to ask if they could exchange information, and Maria kicked herself all the way down the jet bridge until she found her seat. Regretting the missed opportunity, but still very intrigued by Will, she used her detective skills. Only knowing his first name, base. and Check Airman status, she found him on the company directory and then Instagram, and quickly sent him a message. She will shamelessly admit that yes, she basically stalked him in that moment!

Will was excited to receive a message on Instagram shorty after their encounter and responded. Who was this cute girl? He had this feeling in his gut that she was going to be significant in his life, he just wasn't sure to what extent.

Two weeks later, the two of them ran into each other AGAIN in the Denver Airport, completely unplanned!

In the weeks that followed, they chatted more and more, but were also both focused on their new careers at Delta and American Airlines, and also trying to date other people. Yet, they still found themselves having daily conversations and spending hours on FaceTime.

By now, Maria knew this was someone she could really see herself with, while Will took a bit longer to warm up to that idea. It took so long that Maria was about to break off communication with Will because she wasn't interested in being just friends with him!

In December 2022, Maria's career landed her in Charlotte, NC, and she was starting life in her new city. Will wanted to help her move in and spend time together, so he made the trip down from D.C. On December 9, after a fun evening of ice skating, he finally realized that this woman was something special, and asked her to be his girlfriend. By this point, Maria knew they were going to end up married!

Almost two years later, many fun memories made, a big career change for Maria, and a big move for both of them, they merged their lives together in Atlanta, GA in July 2024.

After an incredibly busy 7 months, they finally had their first weekend off together with no plans or obligations. They snuck up to Northern Georgia to get away from the hustle and bustle of Atlanta and spent a relaxing weekend in the Blue Ridge Mountains. On Saturday, January 25, 2025, Will proposed to Maria!