Congrats to Our Valentine's Day BBQ Bundle Winner!

Congratulations to Erin Nast who was the winner of our Valentine's Day BBQ Bundle from Kenyon Noble. Erin will receive a new Traeger Pro Series 780 with all the fixings:

Rubs
Sauces
Pellets
Grill cover liner

That's a $1,300 value!

Here is Erin's entry along with some others. Thanks to all of you who participated!:

My husband and I met back in 2003 on yahoo messenger. He was deployed for the initial push of Iraq and we started talking. We would talk whenever he was able to on the phone or messenger, we decided to give a go to a relationship. Then when he got two weeks of r and r, he came to great falls proposed and we were married in 2004 during his r and r. We have been married for 17 years. We know it was big taboo meeting people online back then but it worked for us. - Erin Nast

We both are from Montana. However, we met at a wedding in Iowa. He was the best man and I was a bridesmaid. We arrived early for the wedding as the wedding party had quite a few adventures planned, before the big day of our friends. We just hit it off and the bridal couple actually bet each other - groom bet $5 it wouldn't work and she bet $5,000 it would. Well, our first date was at the Iowa fair before heading back to MT. We dated for a few years before tying the knot what now has been 25 years of marriage. We have two grown children and now enjoying our time as empty nesters. We have had some great adventures! - Tisha Stahly

My girlfriends and I were out celebrating my 17 birthday by dragging Main between Heebs and Butterys parking lot waiting for the movie to start. At a stoplight, there was a guy on a motorcycle I thought I knew. I waved and he flipped me off. Wrong move! We cornered him in Heebs parking lot and I did know him from work. After telling him what I thought of his gesture and some of his ancestry we drove off, me thinking of his brown eyes. He asked me out the next weekend and we have been together for 52 years and will celebrate our 50th wedding anniversary in July.
I still think about those brown eyes! - Sara Weir

The day after my high school graduation, I was set up on a blind date. I knew who he was, but couldn't imagine he had any interest in me. We went to a movie and then to JB's for "breakfast". He kissed me that night and I thought that was rude to do on a first date. Plus he had a mustache and I had never kissed a guy with one of those before. I ignored him for about a month and finally one day, I answered his call. We have been inseparable for 23 years and have 2 beautiful children. We are very thankful for the friends that set us up. Who would've known? - Amy Craver

Other entries:

I met my now wife while shopping in Murdoch’s. I passed her when I was grabbing horseshoes for a project in the horse section. I said, “ wow, you look beautiful”. After a little awkward conversation, I asked her out to dinner. For her birthday present, a month later, a gave her a horseshoe napkin holder I made out of the horseshoes I bought on the day I met her. Now we’re married with a little son on the way. I wouldn’t change it for the world. - Easton Decker

After being "burned" numerous times in the past, I decided to give love one more try. Having been out of the game for a while, I figured I needed to do some research in order to determine what is acceptable, cool, hip or whatever in this day and age. After doing my very thorough research and becoming confident once again, I decided to keep my eyes open in case Mrs. Right were to cross my path. One day at my local hardware store, I saw her out of the corner of my eye and she was smokin'!!!!! I was so nervous as it had been a while and I didn't know what to do or what to expect. So many thoughts raced through my mind I felt like I was back in high school! Things like "Is this the right time?" and "Is this the one?". However, in those seconds that seemed like an eternity, I found the courage and went for it. I don't know if the moons and stars were aligned or why things happen in life but if I wasn't in that spot at that point in time, I don't know if we would have found each other.....my one true love. My Weber Smokey Mountain 22" Charcoal BBQ. (I hope you enjoyed this. I am a single guy so I don't "qualify" for this essay but I love to BBQ and having a Traeger in my arsenal would be amazing so I had to try!) - Neil Kolar

Hi Dave & Ally! Rich & I met at Sony Corporation in San Diego in 1984! I had to pick up computer reports every morning at 7:30 am and would walk from my building #1 to the 4th building. One day I noticed Rich would come out of his building around the same time I would pass by, thinking he was clever, I caught on that he was deliberately coming out to run into me. He finally got the nerve to say hi and that’s as far as we ever got lol. On one occasion after we passed each other, we both turned back and we busted each other! I wanted to die of embarrassment, but that gave Rich some fuel to ask me out to a ball game. One year later we were married and this July we celebrate 36 years of marriage. God is good!! - Ana Voss

I met my valentine at the R bar! I was walking through when my friend told me that this blonde girl was looking at me(she wasn’t). I turned around and started talking to her and we had a great conversation. We talked for the rest of the night as she would not give me her phone number. After enough persistence or just tired of me, she gave me her phone number. After 10 days (I know, a long time) I texted her and we started our journey to where we are now! A small-town R bar love story turned into a marriage and a family! - Ryan Shannon