We shared the same architecture class our freshman year. Austin introduced himself to the class on the first day of school as a Montana boy and I instantly had my excuse to talk to him (I have a brother who also lives in MT). After our first conversation & a long "just friends" phase, I finally kicked it into gear and asked Austin out on a date (since he wasn't going to do it himself). We went ice skating in downtown San Diego, the date was great, we saw a lot in each other, but the timing just wasn't right...

...After years of not talking, Montana brought us together once again. In August 2020, I saw that Keely was visiting her brother in Montana and I asked her on a date. Even though we weren't able to meet up in Montana, we both really wanted to see what each other had been up to (in the last 7 years)! After several FaceTime dates, we wanted to see each other in person. Before a month had even passed, I booked my flight to California where we spent a week together in San Luis Obispo (SLO) and fell in love.

In late April 2021, I used Keely's birthday as the perfect excuse to plan a trip back to the place where we fell in love, the Central Coast of California. Keely's friends, Zoie and EJ, joined us for a day of wine tasting. Before heading out for dinner, we made a stop at our AirBnb (on a secluded vineyard) to freshen up. I asked Keely to go for a walk around the property at sunset. We made our way to the top of a hill, I got down on one knee, and asked the love of my life to marry me! After a yes, some selfies, and happy tears, we made our way back to Paso Robles to celebrate with Zoie and EJ.