While Alyssa was back in Colorado for a fundraising event for the human trafficking relief NGO she works for, she spent time with old friends and visited old stomping grounds, including her church in Denver. When church was over, Alyssa was trying to get out of the pew in the same place Santiago was getting out of his. They don't quite remember who spoke first but they ended up talking for 4 hours at a restaurant across the street. Afterwards they said good bye multiple times (I guess we didn't want to leave each other haha) and exchanged numbers. The next three days before Alyssa left to return to Mexico City they would hang out after work to hike, eat empanadas, and talk. Within three days of meeting they decided to date. Since then Santiago and Alyssa have been able to see each other about once a month from meeting family during the holidays, surfing in San Diego, and hiking through Colorado.

On their way to Colorado Springs to celebrate Father's Day with Santiago's family, they stopped for a hike at the Garden of the Gods, where they had one of their first dates as a couple. It was a busy Saturday morning and they managed to find a parking spot away from the crowds. They hiked to the top of an overlook where no one was around. With a deep breath Santiago got down on one knee and shared all the reasons why he wanted to marry Alyssa. She said yes!