Maria and Colby met during a summer internship in 2010 while studying fruit bats in Costa Rica. Although Maria first viewed Colby as her “competition,” she was soon amused by his relentless attempts to speak Spanish and assist when attending to her bat nets. Through Colby’s comical Spanish errors and their shared interests in science and the outdoors, they quickly became good friends and before long, were officially dating as affection towards one another grew. Following a few short months, the summer internship came to a close and both prepared to return to their respective universities. As Colby strategically booked his return flight a week and a half following the internship, both had a fantastic opportunity to travel throughout Costa Rica together. While contemplating the future during one of many walks on the beach, Colby informed Maria of his hope to return the coming spring. Although Maria was first skeptical, Colby’s persistence became evident when he took a leave of absence from school and returned to collect additional research data, and more importantly, to see Maria. Throughout the spring, Maria and Colby spent every weekend together as their love for one another continued to grow. When Colby left the following summer, both knew they were committed to being together. Over the next few years, Maria and Colby visited each other whenever possible and cemented their relationship following Colby’s proposal in December 2014 during a hike through Rio Savegre, Costa Rica. Maria moved to Colorado in July, 2015 and they have since established their lives together in Denver.