A little more than 60 years ago, Julie and Al became one home.

Dec. 20, 1959, is recognized as the next step from their initial conversation at a Rural Life meeting. Rural Life is a program just as it implies, all about rural life, designed as the next step after 4-H.

They were in Kansas at the time.

"We came here January 1971," said Julie. "We've been here a long time."

The move followed graduating from Kansas State, and moving to Dodge City, Kan., then to Carlton, Kan. Al was then offered a job with Farmers National Company as a farm manager for absentee owners. They were already parents...