Rich and I met through a friend, which, given the general disorder of human existence, feels statistically unlikely. We fell into love with the kind of downhill momentum that starts innocently and ends with both people blinking at each other like, “Oh. We’re doing this.” Early on, he cooked me a single fish head, just the head, no context, presented with the baffling confidence of a man who believes romance is an improvisational sport. I knew then I had found my person. Our favorite date nights quickly became a ritual of cooking absurdly delicious food, putting on vinyl records, and mixing cocktails with the enthusiasm of two people who absolutely do not need more bottles but keep buying them anyway. Our booze collection may or may not have evolved into a small, well‑curated monster. Not long after meeting (arguably a little too soon, depending on your risk‑assessment philosophy) we found ourselves walking a minimum of 10 miles a day through the Himalayas in Nepal. We climbed up to 18,000 ft on the Annapurna Circuit, an adventure of a lifetime and, frankly, a far more intense compatibility test than the fish head. If that wasn’t a trial by fire, this certainly was, and we passed with flying colors. We share a love of the outdoors: Rich treats nature like a field study requiring gear, backup gear, and a spreadsheet, while I follow along with the bright optimism of someone who assumes the universe is far too distracted to smite her today. Then Rich visited Montana, only to come home to me and say "this is the place." So we visited together. Kalispell delivered a clear, resonant “yes,” the kind of subtle approval that makes you suspect landscapes have opinions and aren’t afraid to express them. Under that enormous sky, Rich proposed, and everything clicked into alignment like a story that had been waiting for its cue. Moving to Montana afterward wasn’t a leap so much as the next line the universe had already scribbled in the margins. Our life together is a delightful mash‑up of impulsive adventures, cosmic jokes, vinyl crackle, experimental cocktails, and a love that thrives best when it’s a little silly, a little unhinged, and perfectly tuned to the odd, wonderful logic of the world we’re building.