We’d met before, but it wasn't until this particular night that the mutual attraction was clear. As the evening wound down, Max invited the group to join him and some friends at the Russian River the next day. Everyone declined but Coco, who was newly on Summer Break (and newly smitten). Max, very (pleasantly) surprised, drove her to Guerneville the next morning. As we rafted down the river that day, our connection was so clear that one of Max's friends said to us, "You two are so cute, how long have you been together?" We shared an awkward laugh as we explained it was our first date, but that small question solidified that Coco was falling for Max, as she thought, “this is it.” The following week, we spent every day together and even planned a backpacking trip through Point Reyes. Our romantic overnight hit an immediate hiccup when the ranger station was out of permits. Fortunately, a kind German man agreed to share his with us, delighted to third-wheel on our first (of many) nights in the woods, under the stars. Despite these strong first sparks, the timing wasn’t quite right, and the next few months were full of stops and starts. Thankfully, love won out, and we officially became an item one sweaty August night, dancing to Snakehips at an Outside Lands after-party at the Mezzanine (RIP). Since then, we've moved in together and made a home in SF (Max has become a wonderful cat dad, to one of the cats at least), climbed mountains and trekked trails, and miraculously thrived in close quarters in our 500-sq-ft apartment during quarantine, growing closer and even more in love. A throughline of these past 5 years has been Max’s commitment to turning Coco into a surfer (he’s been semi-successful), taking her on numerous surf trips. During our most recent surf adventure to Costa Rica in July, Max caught Coco by surprise when he proposed to her as they watched the sunset from tide pools on the beach. And the rest (will be) history. TY for coming to our TedTalk