If you had told Sydney that a girls' trip to Rhode Island would end with meeting her future husband, she probably would have laughed and gone back to her vacation. But that's exactly what happened. We met at the Red Parrot in Rhode Island in the summer of 2022 while Sydney was visiting with friends. Charlie was her bartender. Somewhere between conversations, laughs, and learning that Charlie was about to move to Colorado for the winter to lead snowmobile tours (and that he was driving there in a converted school bus), Sydney decided to make the first move. To be fair, the bus was a major selling point. From the moment we met, something just clicked. Instead of sleeping or sightseeing, we spent every possible second together. By the time Sydney's trip was over, neither of us wanted it to end. The day after she left, Charlie called and invited her to come back and be his plus-one to a wedding. Naturally, they drove there together in the bus. Looking back, it was the first of many adventures. We knew pretty early on that what we had was different. We first said "I love you" overlooking a canyon with the Rio Grande winding below as the sun set. Since then it's been a journey of nonstop adventures. Road trips, camping, rock climbing, paddle boarding, hiking, and finding any excuse to be outside have become the foundation of our relationship. And of course, Cooper has been there for all of it. Cooper was Charlie's dog long before we met, but somewhere along the way, Charlie's dog became our dog, and now he's basically our child. One of the things we love most about our relationship is how different we are as individuals. We balance each other out, challenge each other, support each other, and somehow make each other better every year. As Sydney likes to say, Charlie has a professional degree in loving her better and knowing her better every single day. Then came the proposal—or more accurately, the saga of Sydney thinking every hike was going to be the proposal. Charlie had all kinds of plans, but none of them ever worked out. Every beautiful overlook and every remotely romantic adventure had Sydney convinced, "This is it." A few days before the proposal, Sydney called her mom to complain that she thought Charlie would have proposed already. Her mom told her she was sure it would happen next year, which allowed Sydney to be in the present and stop worrying! By the time Charlie's birthday weekend rolled around, Sydney had finally stopped expecting it. We took one of our favorite trips ever, starting in the Redwoods and making our way up the Oregon Coast. One evening, after hiking through a moss-covered forest, we came across giant sand dunes overlooking the ocean. We had the entire place to ourselves at sunset. Because we always take videos and use screenshots as our photos, Charlie suggested we get one. Cooper, naturally, kept barking, so we kept trying again and again. Somehow Sydney didn't suspect a thing. Then Charlie got down on one knee. At first, Sydney genuinely thought he was joking. Or maybe she was hallucinating. It wasn't until she saw tears in his eyes that she realized it was actually happening. The rest of the weekend felt like a dream. We spent it celebrating, soaking it all in, and talking about the future and being head over heels in love. One thing Sydney remembers most is thinking, "Why am I so worried about him proposing? I'm so lucky to be this in love." Besides, she might never get to be his girlfriend again, so she should probably enjoy it while it lasted. Today, our favorite nights are usually the simple ones: hanging out with Cooper, watching RuPaul's Drag Race, planning our next adventure, and dreaming about the family we hope to build together. We're so excited to celebrate this next chapter surrounded by the people we love most. Thank you for being part of our story and for witnessing the moment we officially become a family. Love, Syd, Charlie & Coop