Konrad Juengling (left) and Robert Peterson found love in a hopeless place.
February 18 2015 9:05 AM EST
November 17 2015 5:28 AM EST
By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Private Policy and Terms of Use.
Robert Peterson and his fiance, Konrad Juengling, started chatting on Grindr before they agreed to a first date at Starbucks. "According to Konrad, it did not go very well," Robert remembers about that first meeting. "I thought it went great -- he was a bookworm and a Star Wars geek just like me. Plus he was tall, blond, and handsome."
"I thought Robert was totally uninterested because he was quiet," Konrad shares. "I didn't think there would be a second date, but when he asked I didn't have anything else going on, so I said yes. He eventually warmed and I realized he was just shy at the beginning. He turned out to be the most amazing man I've met."
Robert, 29, is a senior accountant. He grew up in Albuquerque, N.M., and earned his master's degree in accounting from the University of New Mexico. Robert's parents, Stephan Peterson, an aerospace engineer for Honeywell, and Rebecca Peterson, homemaker, both reside in Albuquerque.
Konrad, 27, works as a mental health associate for people with severe and persistent mental illness. He is from Salem, Ore., and attended Portland State University, where he earned a bachelor's in psychology. He is the son of Fritz and Holly Nelson Juengling. He was raised Mormon; his father is currently employed as the head of the Scandinavian department at the Church of Latter Day Saints' Family History Library in Salt Lake City and his mother works as an accountant. His mother will be attending the wedding, but his father will not.
"In the beginning, when he said he loved Star Wars, appreciated literature, and had a cat, I knew I had to lock it in," Konrad says about falling in love.
"Yes, it wasn't too long after we had moved in together," Robert shares. "We loved each other and our personalities just clicked, and I knew he was the one for me."
Robert was the one to pop the question. "Robert proposed to me at the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta after surprising me with tickets down to New Mexico," Konrad says. "I was totally surprised and lost interest in the balloons after the proposal. My attention was elsewhere!" (Check out pictures below.)
"I was incredibly nervous, so much so that I was shaking," Robert says. "I stopped Konrad in the middle of the field while the balloons were inflating around us and floating up into the sky, and knelt down on one knee to ask him."
"I thought it was special because, while we live in Oregon, Konrad agreed to be my husband in New Mexico, which is where I am from," Robert says. "We also happened to get candid photos of the proposal. A news photographer happened by and snapped a few shots. I wish I could say I planned it, but it was just good luck!"
The wedding is planned for August 20, 2016, at Silver Falls State Park in Silverton, Ore.
If you're engaged, recently married, or a new parent, we'd love to hear your story. Reach us at editor@advocate.com.
Viral post saying Republicans 'have two daddies now' has MAGA hot and bothered