Austen and I met through working in the food and beverage industry in Western Loudoun County, Virginia. All of my industry friends had been talking about this great new brewery in the area called Wheatland Spring, that they'd been hanging out at. After many recommendations my friend/coworker, Agnes, and I decided to try it out. Our schedules never seemed to align perfectly so when a Thursday came around and we both had the night off we decided we had to go check it out--even if it was a freezing December evening and we were going to a mostly outdoors farm brewery. It turned out that the one heated barn happened to be rented out that night for a private party so the only indoor option we were left with was the bank barn. Agnes' sister, Clare, met up with us and we were one of two parties there that evening. And, of course, Austen happened to be behind the bar. After a bit of huddling around a small wood stove (the only source of heat) Austen came and joined us for a chat since the cold left business a bit desolate. I definitely felt a spark and knew there was a good connection but, me being a realist, I didn't want to act on it in case he might actually be into Agnes and not me (lol). I asked around at work that weekend to see if anyone knew this guy from Wheatland Spring but it seemed like he was as much a mystery to everyone else as he was to me. Being that this was a small town I grew up in where everyone knows everyone, this was a great sign to me. Finally, someone new. Unbeknownst to me, Austen had felt the same chemistry and was asking around about as well. Christmas came and went. It was the first Friday following the holiday and I was working the dinner shift at Wine Kitchen. We were completely packed when wouldn't ya know, Austen walks in--not alone, but with two friends of mine that I grew up with, Michael and James. I immediately embraced them and Austen was quite surprised that we all knew each other. What I didn't know was that prior to coming in, Austen had inquired to see if the group wanted to stop by for a drink and see if I was working. After that meeting, I knew I definitely had a crush on him, but we still hadn't exchanged numbers. Fast forward to New Years Eve and I'm working a ticketed dinner at the Wine Kitchen. We happened to be in between seatings when Austen walked in acting coy. From the back of the restaurant I overheard him talking to Agnes at the door and I noticed he was carrying two gift bags. He goes to hand them to Agnes and I hear him say "I brought some beers for you guys to enjoy. This one is for you all to share...and this one is for Alexandra". He attempts to slip out the door so I run to catch him and give him a hug. He handed me the bag (which contained one of my favorite beer styles, made by him of course) and I see a small gift tag on it with his number asking me on a date. We get to texting and plan a date to walk around downtown Frederick, Maryland and hit some breweries and bars. We talked, had a few drinks, ate some oysters, and concluded our date with home-made carnitas tacos. The date lasted 10 hours. Obviously, the rest is history.

In the fall of 2022, Alexandra and I embarked on a cross-country road trip en route to Northern California to settle into our new home. We planned our route on this sprawling journey to explore the southern tier of the United States. From Virginia we ventured through Asheville, NC; Atlanta; New Orleans; and all the way to far West Texas. Our curiosities led us to spend two nights in the mystical town of Marfa before heading into the Rio Grande valley to backpack into Big Bend National Park. Unbeknownst to Alexandra, I had been planning to utilize this location for the opportunity to ask for her hand in marriage. After a mile and a half hike in we established camp and then decided to take a short hike at golden hour to catch the sunset. Here, overlooking the expansive valley below, surrounded by the towering canyons, we paused for a moment of reflection. After sharing some touching--and mildly eccentric--prose with Alexandra I got down on one knee and asked her the damn question. After some abrupt shock and disbelief ("Are you fucking serious?!") she acquiesced my request.