Technically, we met at Friendsgiving 2017 but neither of us count that day since we had little interaction. Fast forward to November 3rd, 2018 and you've got the official "first" day we met. We were gathering at Travis and Camille's for a "Justin is home" party and I came barging through the front door with a 6 pack of Claws yelling something about drinking. It was love at first sight...for Justin that is. For me, I wouldn't quite say "love at first sight" but there was something about him that peaked my interest. As the night progressed and I became increasingly more silly, Justin remained unfazed by my antics (me dancing to 90s throwbacks from the couch to the kitchen and all around Justin while he continued his conversation without missing a beat). Eventually, we separated from the group and talked for hours out on the back porch as it rained. In what seemed like no time at all, it was 6am and Travis was getting up for work. Justin hurried off to head home and I went inside "looking for a blanket" so I could get to sleep, nobody realizing Justin and I had just stayed up all night talking. A couple days later, Justin drove from New Jersey to Pennsylvania to take me out on a date before heading back to Colorado. Soon after, the famous 4-5 hour long FaceTime call occurred and I knew then that he was my person.

I had been eyeing a hike that wasn't too far away and allowed us to stay in the same county in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. The hike is called Lower Calf Creek Falls in Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. It features beautiful views along the trail and a stunning waterfall at the end. After being cooped up for weeks, we decided to get out for a bit of fresh air. Justin suggested packing food for a picnic and bringing along our hammocks so we could relax and enjoy the waterfall. We hiked the trail and with each passing marker, Justin made up a romantic (or sometimes tragic) story regarding that portion of the trail. A battle and a sacrifice over here, Ariel's mother (yes, the mermaid) dying a horrible death over there...After a while, we finally made it to the end and stopped to take in the view for a few minutes before finding a spot in the sun to lay down a towel and have our picnic. Couples and families were filing in and out of the area so we set up our hammocks and watched as people came and went. A while later, we finally had the place to ourselves and Justin requested that we take a photo. He took my phone to set up what I thought was the self timer but in reality he was starting a video. He came over to me and pretended to pose for the photo. Then he took my hands, faced me, and said, "Chelsea, I have loved you from the first day I met you..." And then I blacked out and honestly can't remember what else he said to me. I somehow managed to get it together and say "YES!" before I even saw the ring. He asked me if I wanted to look at the ring first but in that moment it could've been a zip tie or a blade of grass, I still would've said yes.