Their story began in a place far from home—Djibouti, Africa. The landscape was dusty, the roads unpaved, the speed limits a crawling 7 mph, and the military base was… less than glamorous.

Denny was already there, deployed with the Navy. He worked communications on a team that could best be described as functionally dysfunctional.

Shonda received orders to Djibouti, but no sponsor and no clue to the culture there. She was randomly given Denny’s contact information and sent him an email. Denny replied and sent her detailed messages about the base and the team, hoping to help her be more prepared than he had been upon arrival.

They exchanged emails back and forth—until the messages stopped. Until—boom. She broke a bone.

Denny figured she was out, assuming she wouldn’t be coming anymore. She had an easy reason to stay home, one that she couldn’t be faulted for. But she surprised him. Despite the injury, she came anyway. Denny remembered thinking, “Oh great, GI Jane.”

Within two hours of arriving, Shonda was outside the wire; she left base. A base that was on lock down—somehow, miraculously. A rule-breaker, bold and unapologetic.

Later, over dinner, she stole Denny’s oatmeal raisin cookie. The LAST oatmeal raisin cookie in the dining facility to be specific. He hated her for it, and at the same time, he admired her for it. She was, undeniably, a cookie thief.

The deployment passed quickly for Denny who headed home first. Fate would bring them together again however, this time during a Navy Chief heritage run around Washington, D.C. That time, they went to dinner. And suddenly… something sparked.

Every weekend after that, they drove back and forth between Maryland and Virginia. They left at 4 a.m. on Mondays to make it work. Every mile was worth it.

Shonda deployed again—this time to Spain. But she had made a decision: when she returned, she was going home to California. She invited Denny to come with her.

He did. Denny found a job, packed up everything, and drove across the country—in her car. With her best friend, Brandi, he found them a place. Hot tubs, a pool, a fresh start.

When Shonda came home, they picked up where they left off—building a life together, better and stronger with each passing day.

Eventually, Denny deployed again—this time to Maryland, working in Shonda’s former program with Unmanned Aerial Vehicles in Patuxent River. Despite all the fun, quirky, challenges, ups, downs, woes, and foes…

One thing has remained constant: Our love for Cali (cat).

Their story of us? It started with a simple email…

And turned into everything.

The Story of Us – Still Being Written.