When Haley saw Will's description of his ideal first date on Hinge (A 7-11 coffee, followed by a day rock climbing outside, ending with a game of cribbage by lantern light), she knew she had to get to know him better. When a full-day trip to the woods felt daunting for a first date with a stranger, they settled on playing a game of cribbage and grabbing a beer at one of Will's many favorite Washington, DC bars. What they both thought would be an hour long DC-style date (squeezed inbetween regular work and after-work work) ended up spanning many hours, one bar, one restaurant, and an ice cream shop. Under the neon lights of 14th Street eateries, they shared a first kiss by the Capital Bikeshare rental stand. As Haley helmeted-up and road off into crisp spring air, both knew there would be a second date.

The only thing that seemed to grow faster than their affection for each other in the first handful of dates was the number of daily cases of the then novel coronavirus. They had joked about licking doorknobs on their first date and participated in panic buying bulk toilet paper and hand sanitizer at Costco on their second. Their third date, board games and salads, would prove to be their last public date for many months to come. Upon hearing the news of an impending shutdown and remote work policy, Will at first joked about, and then quickly booked, a six week stay at a cabin just mostly off the grid. "The place doesn't have an address or good cell service, but here are the coordinates!" Will sent via text. Perhaps it was a lapse of judgement, or the fact that the world did seem to be ending, but Haley threw caution to the wind and ventured off into the great wilds of the West (Virginia). There's little record from the first lockdown; they vaguely remember something about a hot new app called 'Tik Tok', and maybe something about a Tiger King, but we can all agree that by any standard, time did not move in its typical linear fashion. Was this fourth date a day, a week, or a year? It is impossible to say. Call it trauma bonding or inspired, the first lockdown of the first wave proved the perfect crucible for their relationship, and instead of being snuffed or suffocated their flame was blown into a blaze. Those six weeks ended, and as they packed up to return to a changed and chaotic world, they knew what they had built in that cabin was special, and that they would weather the coming storm, together.

Fast forward a few years (measured otherwise by: a couple hundred tacos, dozens of backpacking trips, two cats, or moving into the world's best apartment), Haley and Will had both come to the obvious conclusion that "you're the me," or in non-relationship speak, "let's lock this thing down." Haley, being the Haley that we know and love, required the engagement to be thoroughly discussed, partially planned, and somewhat a surprise (but not too much of a surprise - her anxiety wouldn't allow for that). Ahead of popping the question, they knew they needed to cover some of the basics: do we believe in marriage, kids, shared finances, assuming each other's gambling debts and felonies, and to committing to the rest of our lives together? With tentative checks above, they went over 6 examples of rings that Haley does like, 1200 examples of rings she DOES NOT LIKE, and got an incorrect measure for her ring size. Will got to planning the surprise, not-surprise, engagement of their dreams. Once a year, the Crimmins family does their best to spend time together on one of the many wild rivers of the American West: the Green, the Yampa, the Snake, or the Salmon. These are places that are near and dear to their hearts, and places they have loved to begin sharing with Haley and her family. Haley’s transformation into a bit of a river rat has been one of the greatest shared joys of Haley and Will's relationship, and in many ways the river is a second home to them. Their expeditions have always been memorable, to say the least: 2020 Snake: near disaster, portaging boats through the flooded forest 2021 Yampa: near disaster, no water, kitchen fire, portaging boats through dry river beds 2021 Green: near disaster, parents meeting for the first time, no cocktail ice It seemed fitting that the 2022 Green trip would be the most memorable yet. With a ring tucked away in a dry bag, Haley and Will launched their boat alongside friends and family and set off for adventure. But it wasn’t long after - only a few river beverages and perhaps even fewer river miles - that Will decided to pop the question ahead of schedule at the first night's camp. He led Haley to a lookout over the canyon and above the river. Bending to a knee, he placed 2 rocks under her feet: granite he’d stowed away from her childhood sanctuary in the High Sierra, where she'd once thought a perfect engagement spot (the timing just wasn’t right!). Opening the ring box, Will proposed to Haley a lifetime of friendship, adventure, commitment, passion, joy, cats, and love. Seasons of summer, seasons of winter, but always seasons of growth together. They triumphantly returned to camp, announced each other as ex-boyfriend/ex-girlfriend and now newly as fiancé/e. Champagne was popped and the first of many engagement celebrations was held on the beach. The next day, the two loaded their raft together, rigging to flip (as always), but banking on many miles of dry-side up.