As we look forward to coming together in 2026, let's rewind the clock and share how we've arrived here.

It was the height of the global COVID-19 pandemic, and I was living up the bachelor life. A relationship was the last thing on my mind. The Fourth of July was around the corner, and my buddy (now groomsman) Teddy was hosting his annual pool party. I couldn’t wait for it. After months of COVID craziness, a day in the sun with my closest friends was exactly what I needed. I had also heard rumors of a new girl joining the crew, but didn’t know anything about her. If she happened to be cute, sure, maybe I’d flirt a little. But mostly, I was just excited to relax, beat my friends at pool games, and let loose. I showed up a couple hours late - classic move on my part - because I had to work a morning shift at Target (but hey, I was essential!). As I stepped through the house and into the backyard, I immediately spotted her. Sitting with her back to me, she had long brown hair, a backwards snapback hat on, and a full sleeve of artistic, abstract tattoos. Whoa. Who is SHE? Everyone else got up to say hello. She didn’t. And of course, that only drew me in more. I walked over to the patio door and started putting on sunscreen. Right then, she got up to refill her drink inside the house. She was headed my way. I figured I’d try to signal my interest and gave her a smile and a very obvious up-down. And then… nothing. Not even a glance. Straight cold shoulder. I couldn’t help but laugh to myself. Challenge accepted. She kept her distance until Fate gave us a little push. About an hour later, I noticed her and our friend, Shoes, deep in conversation with another girl across the patio. Then suddenly, the two of them turned and started walking straight toward me. I finally had a chance to talk to her. “Just stay cool, be you, and don’t embarrass yourself.” Shoes wasted no time. “So Greg, how about Cali?” she asked. Hold up. What!? I was completely caught off guard by this question. I was also hoping for a better conversation starter with New Girl - one that wasn’t about a different girl at the party. After a quick pause to gather my thoughts, I gave a small smile and an honest answer, “I mean, she’s cute. But I could never.” New Girl raised an eyebrow. “Why not? What’s stopping you?” I glanced over my shoulder before leaning in. “My best friend is into her. I could never do that to him.” That was apparently the moment I surprised her, and in turn, when I finally learned her name: Jax. OF COURSE she has a cool name. As the conversation moved on to other topics, I could feel her walls coming down. Her smile started to show. Her eyes softened. She laughed at my jokes. She started teasing me right back. Game on. We ended up playing pool games together, and the chemistry really started to build. She was quick, competitive, funny, and smart - I was hooked. We gave each other a hard time when one of us missed a shot, and celebrated the wins like teammates. Her energy pulled me in. I didn’t want to leave her side. As the sun set and the party turned into a night swim, Teddy suggested we play FMK using people at the party. “Girls go first,” he said, grinning. Shoes answered, then another girl. And then it was Jax’s turn. “I’d marry Greg,” she said with a slight blush, then looked my way. “Mainly because you need to like the person you marry, and I feel like we’d get along pretty well! You seem cool.” EVERYBODY REMAIN CALM! THIS IS NOT A DRILL! I was freaking out internally. My heart was racing. I had picked her as my “marry” too, but had no idea she’d say my name out loud for her selection. I successfully played it cool (phew), but damn. That was a moment. Once it got to my turn, I calmly shared my first two selections. Then, even in the dark, I started beaming. “Yeah, I’d marry you too… for your same reasons.” We high-fived and laughed as the group started teasing us. Then, from across the pool, Teddy started his signature chant: “MAKE OUT! MAKE OUT!”

I can’t remember ever having tried so hard to ignore a guy, wing-woman for a girl, and failing so horribly at both. I wasn’t looking to meet anyone, but here I was, with this cute guy’s number, and giddier than I wanted to admit. I'd only moved to Arizona a few months earlier and was still settling into my new COVID-bubble of friends. When Shoes gave me the rundown on Greg before he arrived (funny, outdoorsy, a Frisbee player, a great dancer, etc.), I thought, "Dope! Another cool friend in the group." But as soon as he walked in, smile infectious, charm effortless, and shirt already off, I knew I was in trouble. When he shut down Cali because of his MORAL COMPASS, I was intrigued. After exchanging numbers, Greg mentioned camping with friends the following weekend for his birthday. I quietly hoped for an invite, knowing it wouldn’t come. We'd flirted on the Fourth, but we'd only just met! The connection wasn't that strong. But by Sunday, I was itching to reach out. Checking in post-trip seemed innocent enough, so I texted him. His reply was simple yet maddening: it was a great trip, he looked forward to telling me more about it later. “Playing things a bit coy,” I thought. “Interesting.” That night, Teddy texted, demanding I come to his house. Shoes called to echo the same, so I reluctantly drove over. Back on the patio where Greg and I met, Teddy greeted me with a grin. “So, I heard you wanted to know how the weekend went.” I rolled my eyes. So much for playing it cool. But then Teddy added, “Greg couldn’t stop talking about you the entire camping trip.” My heart jumped. “You’re full of it,” I shot back, smiling. “Stop blowing smoke and just tell me how the trip went!” "Jax, Teddy doesn't lie when it comes to girls," another friend said. Others nodded in agreement. I was speechless. I wasn’t ready to drop my guard just yet, so I continued our game and waited until Greg reached out. When he did, he asked me to hike Camelback Mountain with him. Wait. Hiking in July with triple-digit temperatures? In the middle of the Phoenix desert? On one of the hardest trails in the valley with a grueling 1,500-foot elevation gain in just 2.4 miles?! I'd hiked this trail once before. It was a fun challenge, yes, but conversation barely happened between gasps for air. Tons of sweat on your brow wasn't a cute look, either. But he asked me to hang out, so was it a date? "That's not a first date,” my long-time friend Julian said. “You get coffee or drinks on a first date! That's a sick joke." "That’s what I thought!" I replied, “But I can’t exactly say no, right?” "Nope, you gotta show you can hang, if you don't die first.” So it was set. Sunday, 7 AM. Camelback. When we met at the trailhead, we hugged hello. Greg flashed an irresistible smile and set off, diving straight into get-to-know-you questions and setting an aggressive pace. This is madness, I thought as I tried to keep up with Greg, the conversation, and my need to breathe. Greg, somehow, was completely unbothered, talking with ease, looking incredible. Halfway up, I cut a corner to step in front of him, cunningly using a descending group of hikers as an excuse for a water break. I buried my sweaty face into my shirt and composed myself before turning around to continue chatting. At Greg’s pace, we reached the summit in just over an hour (a new PR I didn’t set out to achieve). Greg found a spot among the rocks to sit where we spent another hour talking about Ultimate, football, family, and adventurous dreams. The more I learned about Greg, the more I thought he was the coolest person I'd ever met. (I believe every girl has a Dream Guy Checklist in her head. And by God, he was checking boxes I didn’t know I had.) Eventually, the summer heat drove us back down the mountain. In the parking lot, we hugged again and said goodbye. I climbed into my car, cranked the AC, and immediately texted Julian: “I think I just had my last first date.”