Lisa Gaines grew up the daughter of an F-18 fighter pilot and after spending her childhood years moving around from place to place, vowed never to marry a military man.

She attended high school in the Washington, D.C., area and after graduation, headed south to Texas A&M University with no specific goal in mind, other than going to college. It was not long, however, before a chance meeting in a friend’s dorm room provided one of those life-changing moments.