I was living in San Diego and Ross was living in Seattle when, during COVID, he decided to ride his bike down the entire West Coast. Along the way, he met a friend who lived on a boat in San Diego, and spent a week hanging out with him. By chance, that boat happened to be right inside the tiny radius I had set on my newly reactivated dating profile—and that’s how we matched. We went on one date before Ross headed back to Seattle to start a new job, and though we were apart, we kept in touch, excited to see where this connection might go. A few months later, I took a trip up to Seattle for a long weekend, and from that moment on, we began going back and forth, exploring both cities together and discovering a shared love of adventure and travel. Eventually, I made the move to Seattle, and life together became a series of adventures, big and small. We welcomed a second cat, grew our little family, and found joy in the everyday moments as much as in the travels and experiences we shared. Over the years, we celebrated new friends and new neighborhoods, career milestones, and countless trips, and many new countries visited each one adding another layer to our story. On October 5th, 2025, Ross took me to the Washington Arboretum—a place that had been part of our story since my very first visit to Seattle—and asked me to be his wife. It was a moment that felt both intimate and perfectly “us,” surrounded by the quiet beauty of the gardens we had walked through together so many times. Since then, we’ve shared our engagement with friends and family, including a special time in San Diego, revisiting the places that brought us together and capturing memories along the way. Every adventure, every quiet moment, and every shared laugh has brought us closer, and we can’t wait to celebrate the next chapter surrounded by the people we love most.