She said: We met at The Tough Luck Club below Reilly's Craft Pizza downtown. Brett came with his friends, Casey and Lindsay, and I came to meet my friend, Marco, along with my sister. Lindsay, Marco, and I all went to high school together so we decided to all meet up and thank goodness we did. I walked in and he was sitting in the booth closest to the wall looking so cute in his plaid flannel shirt. We started chatting and kept chatting at the Owl's Club and then Club Congress. He walked me home, letting me wear his jacket because it was chilly, and we exchanged numbers. I told myself I would wait a day or two and then I would text that cute guy in the flannel. He said: Was I feeling a little down on my luck the night I joined some friends at the Tough Luck Club? Maybe. Did I go there expecting to find Ms. Right? Definitely not. Still, I couldn't help but be intrigued when I met this dark-haired beauty with lively eyes and an infectious smile. I immediately liked her wit and her honest, direct manner. We talked easily that night as we made our way around and through downtown Tucson, and I began to realize I was going to need to see this woman again. I let her pay my cover charge at Club Congress that night, hoping I could use paying her back as a pretext for an actual date. When I contacted her a few days later (first, by the way), she agreed to meet. And the rest, as they say, has been awesome!

She said: We had a day permit to hike Aravaipa Canyon Wilderness, where we had hiked and backpacked in 2018. We got a late start after helping rescue a kitten in the road. Our plan was to hike to Horse Camp to eat lunch, which was the halfway point, and then explore a side canyon aptly named Horse Canyon. Since the halfway point was 6 miles we were in a little bit of a hurry and veered out of the creek to make the journey a little faster. In doing so we were hiking in the brush and missed our destination! Thankfully we ran into 3 hikers coming from the other direction, who informed us that we had indeed gone too far...by at least a mile. After finally reaching our correct destination we ate lunch next to the water under the shade of a large tree. Once our bellies were full and there was no hangry in sight we explored Horse canyon in search of a mysterious pool with no bottom. It was unfortunately quite dry since it was June so there was no waterfall as Brett remembered, but we did find a medium sized dark pool of cool water. Brett hopped in eagerly and then I joined to cool down for a few minutes, but after spotting a little creature swimming (it was a leech) I decided pool time was over and we both hopped out. As we were preparing to hike back out Brett was rummaging in his backpack a little too much. He obviously found what he was looking for, got down on one knee, and proposed! It was the best hike back to the car, even if we did then miss the exit and end up hiking a couple extra miles (again), and I realized one of my Chacos had fallen out of my pack (bonus story). He said: Yes, I did miss a turn on that hike in, but we got there, eventually! And no, the pool wasn't quite as clear and refreshing as I'd remembered it being years prior, but...she said Yes!

In my excitement with the engagement and subsequent day dreams I lost exactly one Chaco (it's a hiking sandal) out of the side netting of my pack. I didn't realize this poor soul had been lost until we finally made it back to the car very happy, very thirsty, and very tired. There was no going back for it. Thankfully, Brett, had the composure to leave a note with his number at the trailhead in case anyone found this poor sandal. Wouldn't you know it a little less than a week later Brett got a text from some kind strangers who had seen the note, then found the sandal when they were exploring Horse Canyon. These kind strangers then proceeded to bring me the lost Chaco. Reunited at last!