Today’s Video Story was collected on the 50-state Story Tour. Check out the blog where you can follow us on our adventure. We met Jason and Perry in Alexandria, MN. If you haven’t submitted a story yet to IFD, or if you want to submit another one, I’d love to read and publish it. Write one up and send it in.

I’m Perry Evans and I’m from, originally from Ashton, South Dakota. I’m Jason Mergen I grew up in a small town, well, the nearest town was actually Avon, Minnesota. Yep, we’re both from the middle of nowhere. (laughter)

Jason: We met, what seven, going on seven years. Actually we met on, line. We both kind of put our time, it almost felt like in the city, they know, for small town, that was kind of both our upbringing, kind of, where, I mean, there is a lot of other things down the road but kind of both where we wanted to end up, or at least where I wanted to, and then when he took over his family farm, it kind of worked out, when I finished graduate school. He took over the farm and we both got out. Perry: We had a good opportunity to get out and we ran. (laughter)Perry: Anything to get out of the city, neither one of us wanted to be there.

Jason: I guess like coming up and living in small town for us has been really easy. Besides that initial coming out experience and doing that whole deal that I think everyone who’s gay, obviously is going to know what that’s all about. You know, besides that anxiety of getting over that its just been so, every part has been so normal. It kind of shocks me actually, to tell the truth because I was expecting to hit a lot more crap, you know? And its been just kind of, you know, whatever.

Perry: The Funniest thing though was the first Christmas at Jason’s mom’s house. She was passing out gifts and they go form youngest to oldest. And it was the youngest nephew who was two or three at the time, and then the niece, and then Jason, and then she’s standing in front of me with this box, and she’s like “I don’t have any idea where you fall in the order.” And I said well “I don’t either, but I’m really sure its not right here!” (laughter) Cause they had no idea there was an age difference, well they knew, but they didn’t know what it was. (laugher) Perry: But yeah, she was kinda cute. She was just a hoot. And Jason’s Grandma. Grandma Beesons, has always, ever since the fist time she met me, she has addressed everything, every card to Jason, we get Christmas cards, Easter cards. I get the same Christmas gift as all the other in-laws and she’s eighty what? Eighty five. (laughter)

So its been a pretty easy transition on that part.