A Whirlwind Romance
By Debbie Lagestee • Photos by Lea Austen Photography
Leslie was born and raised in Denver, CO. She attended Colorado State University where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Anthropology. Leslie’s dad was a dentist; as a teenager, Leslie enjoyed spending time in his office watching and learning about dentistry. This influenced her decision to attend dental school. Leslie earned her Doctor of Dental Surgery from the University of Colorado. With just 6 weeks remaining in dental school, she met Josh, who unbeknownst to her had been living just 5 doors down from her the entire 4 years she was in school. From that point, their whirlwind romance began. They started dating in May 2011, and six weeks later they embarked on a long-distance relationship when Leslie moved to Virginia to begin her active duty in the US Air Force. Josh made frequent trips back and forth between Colorado and Virginia. He proposed in October, moved to Virginia, and they were married in December. Since Leslie was in her residency at the time, she only had 1 day off to get married. They seized the moment and had a private ceremony with just the two of them. Two years later, with a spectacular backdrop of a local winery in Soave, Italy they had a proper wedding surrounded by family and friends. Their beautiful wedding was followed by a honeymoon in Venice, Italy.
Leslie continues to serve as a dentist in the Air Force. She has been blessed with great assignments. Leslie says, “We have been lucky enough to travel all over the world creating countless memories. I have too many to list.” Following her residency in Virginia, they were stationed in Turkey for 2 years, Germany for 3 years and now they are 2.5 years into their Charleston assignment.
Josh is originally from Bendigo, Australia. He has always been passionate about food and wine. Following high school, he worked in the food and wine industry in his native state of Victoria as well as other parts of Australia and Europe.
His primary focus was the study of wine as a Sommelier as well as project management and product development for new restaurants. Josh now works remotely for a business based out of Colorado that imports Italian wine, olive oil, and other food items to the US.
Josh and Leslie have 2 sons, both boys were born in Germany. Oliver is 6 years old and is in 1st grade and Jackson is 4 years old and is in preschool. Both boys are very active, they love to try new sports, are huge fans of the neighborhood pool, and love spending days at the beach. Oliver and Jackson are great travel companions. Last October, the Chambers’ took a family vacation to Australia to celebrate Josh’s dad’s 70th birthday. They went touring around Josh’s hometown and Melbourne. Then they spent some time traveling with Josh’s parents, siblings, and their families. Together they went to the Daintree Rainforest in Queensland. A highlight of the trip was swimming in the Great Barrier Reef.
In addition to traveling, Josh and Leslie have many hobbies. Leslie enjoys baking, yoga, playing the piano, snow skiing, cheering on all Colorado sports teams, the Broncos, the Rockies, the Avs, and the Nuggets, and being a mom! Josh enjoys cooking, wine collecting, fishing, he follows Australian football cheering for the mighty Geelong Cats, he also likes watching Premier League Soccer and roots for Arsenal. Since living in Colorado, he has grown to love the Broncos and the Nuggets.
Josh’s most unique hobby is playing the bagpipes. He was introduced to the bagpipes when he was a kid, as playing the pipes was a family tradition. He now plays at a professional level with the grade 1 band (which is the top tier) called 78th Frasers Pipe Band. They are based in Ontario, Canada. Josh has competed in the World Pipe Band Championships in Glasgow, Scotland the past 3 years.
When Leslie and Josh learned they were going to be stationed in Charleston they chose to live in Carolina Bay due to the close proximity to the Air Force base, downtown Charleston, and the beaches. They live in the Oakhurst subdivision. “We love our neighbors! People are so friendly, and we have made some wonderful friends. We have really created some great friendships with our immediate neighbors especially, and we feel so lucky for that!”, says Leslie. There are so many kids in the neighborhood creating a fun environment for Oliver and Jackson and it provided an instant network of friends for them. In their free time, the family loves to go exploring the trails, fishing in the ponds, and looking for wildlife.
They are still amazed that there is so much to do and so much fun to be had right in their own neighborhood.
This article was featured in the September 2020 issue of Carolina Bay Neighbors magazine.
