Mario and I technically met at a Halloween party in 2020… but depending on who you ask, that may or may not count. I clearly remember complimenting his Woody from Toy Story costume, while I was dressed as a zombie skeleton girl. Mario, on the other hand, claims he doesn’t remember talking to me at all—and somehow, that little moment ended up being the very beginning of our story. Fast forward to June 2021, when we actually met on a group birthday trip to Utah—where it was unbelievably hot. One day, our group hiked the Narrows, and I just so happened to end up walking next to Mario. Coincidence? I think not. I had already decided he was cute and interesting, so I wasn’t exactly mad about it. After the trip, we didn’t exchange numbers (questionable decision, honestly), but I added him on Instagram—and like any modern love story, he slid into my DMs. Our first date lasted five hours, sitting in a sushi parking lot talking non-stop. At that point, it was pretty clear neither of us was going anywhere. From then on, we’ve basically been inseparable. One of our first big adventures was traveling to Peru, where we explored a beautiful country and saw one of the Seven Wonders of the World together. Safe to say, we set the bar pretty high early on. Since then, we’ve built a relationship full of adventure—lots of hiking, camping, and doing anything that gets us outdoors. We’ve collected plenty of camping trips (and probably just as many bug bites). We’ve also discovered we’re not too bad at surfing, and we’re always ready to catch the next wave—literally and figuratively. Our days have been filled with laughter, great food, and cozy nights watching Naked and Afraid (a show Mario still believes he could win one day). Over the past five years, we’ve grown so much—supporting each other’s dreams, sharing new passions like music and concerts, and building a life we truly love. We are both so grateful that our paths crossed when they did. What started as a brief moment turned into something neither of us could have imagined, and we feel incredibly lucky to have found each other. We can’t wait to continue this journey together, side by side.