Like many modern love stories, ours began online, thanks to the Hinge app - though calling it a "quick match" would be a stretch. After matching, we spent nearly five months talking on the app before actually meeting in person. The delay was due almost entirely to Alyssa's impressive ability to disappear and Buck's equally impressive patience and persistence. When we finally met at Mothership in San Diego, everything felt easy from the moment we sat down (after Alyssa finally showed up, 45 minutes late). It turned out we already had plenty to talk about. We were both Chico State alumni, were attending grad school programs in San Diego at the same time, shared ties to El Dorado Hills, had mutual college friends, and loved hiking, camping, and finding any excuse to be outdoors. It almost felt like we'd been circling each other's lives for years before finally meeting. What really clicked, though, was how comfortable we were being ourselves. We're both adventurous, open-minded, and just the right amount of weird (in our own opinion, anyway). Neither of us has ever had to pretend to be someone else, which is probably good because neither of us could keep up the act for very long anyway. Since then, we've spent our time doing what we love most: exploring. We've taken countless road trips, camped our way across new destinations, hiked more trails than we can count, and dragged Piper along for as many adventures as she'll tolerate (taking her on a canoe down the Big River in Mendocino might have been pushing it). If there's a mountain to climb, a beach to explore, a river to jump into, or a national park nearby, we're probably headed there. When we're not outdoors, we're usually at home attempting ambitious cooking projects. Sometimes it's smoking meat, sometimes it's making pasta from scratch, and sometimes it's discovering that recipes take much longer than the cookbook promised. Either way, we enjoy the process if we're doing it together. At the heart of it all, what we value most is time spent with family and friends. The adventures have been amazing, but the people we share them with are what matter most. We are so grateful to have such incredible people in our lives, and we're honored that you're joining us to celebrate the start of our next adventure together.