Chris and Brittany were both living in Utah county and using dating apps to meet people. They matched on Tinder, and Chris sent the first message: a Lord of the Rings reference (Brittany's profile mentioned that she loved Lord of the Rings). Brittany played along and they had a flirty conversation full of Lord of the Rings lore. She was immediately charmed by his wit, and sent screenshots of the conversation to her family and girlfriends. They quickly exchanged phone numbers and spent hours texting each other over the next week.

Chris was a gentleman and asked Brittany on a real date almost immediately. Brittany was blown away by the care he put into a date with a woman he'd never met; he took her to the aquarium, out to lunch, window shopping, and to see "The Greatest Showman." They listened to the "Les Miserables" soundtrack in the car. After discovering that Brittany loved rock music, Chris introduced her to the metal band Kamelot. They had many shared interests. The date ended with Chris asking, "So, can I see you again?" Obviously, Brittany said yes.

Chris and Brittany saw each other nearly every weekend after that - occasionally, more than once. They did lots of different things that allowed them to see the other's personality, from cooking dinner to bowling. Chris taught Brittany how to play ping-pong (and it was super embarrassing). Brittany taught Chris how to use chopsticks and got him hooked on sushi. Chris beat Brittany at Guitar Hero III while they were on a date at an arcade, which made her fall head over heels - he was the first guy who had ever been able to beat her. Chris was ready to be in an exclusive relationship before Brittany, and made a lot of hints, but she was a little anxious about making things more serious. She'd been dating a lot, and a handful of guys had recently tried to start a serious relationship with her, but she'd never felt right about them. Chris gave Brittany the time that she needed and waited patiently; they both continued dating each other and seeing other people. On February 10th, Brittany had a particular Saturday where she went on a date with Chris and then a first date with another man immediately after. As she sat across from the other date, she had the distinct thought, "I wish he were Chris. I don't want to be on a date with anyone else." On that night, her anxiety went away and she knew she wanted to be with Chris.

Sometime after Brittany had put her son to bed, she and Chris logged on to play Lord of the Rings Online from their respective homes. They played for about an hour, and then Chris asked if he could pick Brittany up and go out for some late-night Taco Bell. Brittany agreed, and Chris said he'd start heading over. Around 45 minutes later, Chris finally arrived with a story about how he'd been pulled over and subsequently been issued a ticket for driving an unlicensed car. There was a fee he'd have to pay, and he had to go to the courthouse within a few days "or they'd issue an arrest warrant." Of course, Brittany made jokes about him being a criminal and a felon for weeks after that. They drove to the local Taco Bell... but it was closed. The only nearby restaurant that was still open was Denny's, so they decided to go in for some breakfast food. Chris romantically asked Brittany to be his girlfriend while he was holding a piece of bacon. Brittany said yes.

After having seen each other off and on for the past month, they felt ready to commit. A deep affection had grown and was developed through the next month and a half. Chris met Brittany's parents and, importantly, Lawrence, who instantly loved Chris. Over the next several weeks, Chris and Brittany made efforts to spend quality time together at home, listening to music, watching movies that they both enjoyed or wanted to share, and going to events the other was passionate about. On March 13th, they went to a concert headlined by Our Last Night along with Don Broco and, more importantly for Brittany, I The Mighty. (If you've never heard of these bands, it's okay, neither had Chris.) It was a wonderful night with some killer songs, awesome vibes, and Brittany getting enraptured in the experience while Chris made sure she wasn't killed by the mobbing crowds going crazy. About a month later on April 10th, they went to Brittany's first NBA game in Salt Lake to see one of Chris's favorite teams - the Golden State Warriors - versus the Utah Jazz. Unfortunately, the game was not competitive. At all. Luckily, Brittany was there to help Chris through his time of crisis. As the days went on, the semester became busier and more demanding on Chris but he consistently strove to make sure that when he was with Brittany, he was really with her. At times this was difficult and she actually helped him with an assignment here and there. As the end of the semester came closer and closer, each knew decisions would have to be made in regards to their future - together or apart.

Chris graduated BYU with a bachelor's degree in Neuroscience, and it was time for him to move back home to Dallas, Texas and complete his Master's degree. He and Brittany struggled with the issue of what they would do. Neither felt they had been dating long enough to commit to marriage, but neither wanted to break up. They decided they'd try a long distance relationship. Chris would fly back up to Utah after one month apart, and they could evaluate the relationship from there. It was REALLY hard. They made sure to stay connected through frequent video chats, texting, online chess games, and sending letters and care packages. When Chris finally returned to Utah on June 11th, it was like they'd never been apart. They had an amazing week together and agreed that they still wanted to keep the relationship going. They quickly booked flights for Chris to return in August.

Brittany knew that Chris was planning to propose to her on his next visit to Utah, but she didn't know when. She was convinced it would be two days after he arrived, but he surprised her one day earlier with a beautiful proposal. He drove Brittany to Upper Falls Park up Provo Canyon, where he led her to a fully decorated picnic site, complete with roses, a gourmet s'mores-roasting table, and a red balloon. Chris immediately got down on one knee, pulled out the ring, and asked Brittany to marry him. She said yes, and two of her best friends, who had been hiding in the bushes, snapped photos of the moment. They had a romantic evening together, and Chris played some of their favorite Beatles songs on the guitar for her.