Flashback to Summer 2021—on Hinge (because, let’s be honest, that’s where everyone meets these days). Erica was casually swiping when she came across Nick. He wasn’t half bad-looking, so she sent him a "like." Nick, who happened to be passing through Portland to visit family on his way to California, got the notification. He thought Erica was cute and decided to respond (with a goldfish pickup line, of all things). Erica almost ignored it. Almost. That one message kicked off a long-distance "talking phase" between Oregon and California. A few months later, Nick moved to Washington State for work. Erica figured, it’s now or never, and proposed the idea of driving six hours to meet Nick for the first time. Thankfully, Nick turned out not to be a serial killer, and that weekend ended up being the first of many. Long story short: the long-distance relationship continued through Erica’s time in school and included travel across several U.S. states and even into Canada. It’s still going, with Erica now working in Edmonton and Nick based in San Jose. Then, in May 2024, Nick popped the question. If you’ve made it this far (and haven’t fallen asleep), check the video we made above talking about our relationship.