2001-11-17 first formal date

Benjamin Nephi Shaffer and Windy Elizabeth Johnson first met in 1998. When Windy shook Ben's hand for the first time she felt a deep spiritual connection and asked "Have we met before?" Since Ben had never been to Flagstaff, Arizona before the answer was no. However we had immediately established a strong friendship that lasted in a platonic sense until September 2001 when Ben returned from serving his mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Ohio. They had maintained contact through occasional letters and then shortly after he returned to his parent's house in Provo, UT Windy visited him for a week. By the end of the week long vacation she had fallen head over heels in love with her friend and she was very direct and honest with him and told him that she was in love with him and wanted to be his wife. He was not quite ready for this news at that time but within a few months he too had fallen in love with Windy and their formal courtship started in November of 2001.