LONGMONT -- Peter Johnson was a little unsure when his father insisted he should meet a girl at his church, and Sue Johnson felt the same when a man at church kept saying she should meet his son.

Even though they had both gone to Boulder High School at the same time, the two had managed never to meet. It wasn't until after high school when Peter's parents switch churches to Valmont Community Presbyterian Church in Boulder that Peter's father, Herbert, met Sue. Peter was in the Navy at the time.

When Peter came home on leave in July 1971, Herbert decided they should meet, so they jumped in the new truck Peter had just bought and went over to Sue's. Herbert made the introductions and they all climbed in the truck. After dropping Herbert off at a friend's house a few blocks away and Peter and Sue went on their first date. They talked as they took the new truck for a drive on U.S. Highway 36, and they have been talking ever since.

They continued to date while Peter finished his time in the Navy. He returned home in December 1971 and started college at CU.

"He gets this little grin on his face, I knew something was up." Sue said about the night of July 23, 1972. That night on the top of Flagstaff Mountain, with a full moon over the city lights of Boulder, Peter proposed.

"It's how you know God loves engineers" Peter said, "He sets up things like this; I couldn't have done this." They were married on April 7, 1973, at St. Andrews Presbyterian Church in Boulder.

A year later they both took time away from school to do volunteer work through the church. They came across an opportunity to work on a Navajo Reservation near Kayenta, Ariz. Peter worked as the maintenance man and Sue worked as the secretary for the pastor and they both worked with the youth group and as teachers in the community.

"I think you get a whole different perspective living in culture that is totally different and learning to be respectful of that culture" Sue said of her time there.

They returned to Boulder to finish their education, and both graduated in 1979 -- Sue with a master's in school administration from CSU and Peter with a bachelor's in civil engineering from CU.

Sue started to work at the Career Development Center in 1980 and in 2006 she retired, but worked with GED students through Front Range Community College until last year. She now spends her time gardening, reading, taking their dog for walks, and planning their next vacation.

Peter commuted to jobs in Denver and Boulder during this time, and then for a few years he was self-employed. In 1993, he went to work in Lafayette for the public works department, and eventually became the city engineer.

For their 40th anniversary they went on a cruise to the Panama Canal where they tried zip lining for the first and last time, and Sue is already researching the next trip, which she hopes to be somewhere like Kenya to photograph the large animals.

The couple acknowledges Herbert's contribution to their life the best way they know how, with visits, even after Peter's parents moved to Sheridan, Wyo., a few years ago. The couple still makes a point to call often and go visit a few times a year.