We're getting married!

I was less than a month living in Utah when Gabe and I connected on that infamous Tinder app. I didn’t know what to expect when I was getting ready for my first date with Gabe. All I knew was that this guy had a witty profile, he loved to mountain bike, and he could pull off a mustache quite nicely. Gabe planned our first date—a hike around sunset complete with a ride on his motorcycle, and breakfast food for dinner. What more could a gal ask for? So November 3rd, 2020, I hopped on the back of Gabe’s motorcycle and we hiked to one of my now favorite sunset spots. I don’t remember many specifics about our date, but I do remember three things for certain: he made me laugh from beginning to end, he put my birthday in his calendar before our hike was even over, and I knew then that wanted to keep this guy in my life somehow. You might think that “the rest is history” with a first date like that, but it didn’t quite go that way. I spent the next couple of months trying to play hard to get—I was not very good at it. A week later, I found myself down in Salt Lake City again, buying donuts to take over to Gabe’s house just so I had an excuse to see him again. Then his birthday rolled around shortly after, and there we were, celebrating it together. We just kept spending more and more time together…I did say I wasn’t that great at playing hard to get. It took two months of consistently seeing each other to realize how foolish it would be to let an opportunity to do life with this man pass me by. What made Gabe stick around while I came to my senses? I’ll never know. All I know is that I deleted my Tinder app long before we ever became “official." Gabe was something special, it just took me a bit longer to admit that to him. It wasn’t until we were driving home from our New Years Eve trip that I finally called Gabe my boyfriend. I think that was the moment the rest became history. I knew by March of 2021 that I could marry this man, and everyday Gabe consistently shows me why. And here we are, a year and a half later, and I soon get to call him my husband (eek!). Learning and growing alongside Gabe is an absolute joy, and I can’t wait to keep writing our story together.

I remember sitting down just before New Year’s Eve in 2019 and very thoughtfully setting goals for 2020. Little did I know, 2020 would be the year I set out to accomplish my greatest goal of all – finding the person to spend the rest of my life with. We all know how 2020 started though, and it took me the better part of that year to finally meet Ginny. Trust when I say even that wasn’t as straight forward as you may think! No, I came to find out that not only had Ginny JUST moved to Utah, but that when we met (matched on Tinder) she was actually on her way out to California to pick up her car and drive back here. So after a few days of not hearing from her, I decided I’d throw one last-ditch effort in and double text her. And am I ever glad I did. Because even though I hadn’t met this woman yet, I knew I wanted to. What started out as mish-mashed texts, she goes to bed early, I stay up late, soon gave way to mish-mashed dates -early morning hikes to donut falls for her, and rock climbing for me. With a smile that radiates, a laugh that will fill the room, and a love for everyone around her, I knew she was special and I couldn't let go. Eventually we got to New Year’s Eve of 2020, a trip down south for me to go biking with "the boys", and a chance for her to get out and explore some hiking trails. On the drive back we had a serious talk about where we wanted to see things go between us and it was then we decided to make it official. Here's to 2022. The year of the ring, and punching above my weight class.