We are getting Married!

I catfished Riley. Well, I felt like I did. As I was on my way to our first date, I dropped the potential deal-breaking news to him, “I completely understand if you want to cancel, but I thought you should know that I have braces, I just don’t want to surprise you.” he responded quickly with, “well, it isn’t as bad as being almost bald”. As it turns out, braces and baldness were not a problem at all. What was, however, was something we still joke about to this day - was his shirt pink or salmon? To most people, a love story does not start with “catfishing”, salmon (it was pink) shirts, and a Honda Civic (my dream car at the time), but ours did. As we connected over Tacos and queso, the world felt like it slowed down in the best way possible. Tinder and Tacos started our beginning of many firsts - we got our first puppy, moved into our first apartment, went on our first adventure, bought our first house, and got engaged for the first (and last) time. ***** Our Engagement I knew from the very beginning that Riley was who I wanted to be with, but our first hike together is what solidified what I already knew. 6 miles, 2000 ft elevation gain, 30 degrees, no hiking boots, asthma, and absolutely no training. On paper it did not seem that bad, but every step to the top felt like it might have been my last. Against all odds, we made it to the top, and for the first time we both remained fully at peace and speechless. We were above the clouds and in complete awe of the world around us. Upon reflection, Riley says that this was the moment he knew that he would marry me one day. Flash forward to September 5th, 2022 in Telluride, CO. 10 miles, 2000 ft elevation gain, 50 degrees, hiking boots, and training. Although we were much more equipped for the hike in front of us, there was an anticipation in the air. Riley said that he knew he wanted to propose to me on that trip, but wasn’t sure where until we made it to Telluride, as it reminded him of the hike where he knew I was the one (Mt Rainier, Washington State). We were both nervous, but I didn’t know it at the time. When we finally made it to the top, we climbed on to a rock that was situated next to an 80 ft waterfall and overlooked the most beautiful mountain vista (San Juan Mountain Range). The sound of the water crashing next to us created the same feeling we had above the clouds - peace. Riley suddenly decided that he wanted to set up the tripod and take photos. He moved rock after rock to try to make his phone not fall to its doom. In this moment, time slowed like it had over tacos and I knew that once again, my life was going to be changed forever. **** It is crazy to think that everything started from a silly dating app, so for that, thanks, Tinder.