Steven and Monika were married on December 30, 1993. Steven is American and Monika is German.

Steven grew up in Pitman, New Jersey, near Philadelphia then moved to California, near San Francisco before moving to Japan.

Monika grew up in Grenzach-Whylen, Germany, near Basel, Switzerland.  Steven and Monika met for the first time when they were both backpacking in Yosemite National Park in California.

Since graduating from college Steven has been an Intel employee for 10 years (6 years in Japan). Since graduating from college Monika has been a German public school teacher and has also taught English and German while living in Japan.

After getting married and prior to purchasing the Soldotna B&B, Steven and Monika primarily lived together in Japan.

Combined Steven and Monika speak English, German, Japanese and French. Monika and Steven have extensive outdoor experience from travelling in Asia, USA, Europe and Africa.