Like most modern love stories, ours started with a few messages on a dating app — but things got interesting fast. We decided to meet in person on August 10, 2021, at Madeira Beach. The only problem? Florida decided to throw one of its classic summer storms our way. We both had to literally drive through flooded streets just to get there, but neither of us turned around. Instead, we sat in Chris’s 4Runner for hours, talking, laughing, and realizing how easy it was to be around each other. When the rain finally slowed, we tried to take a walk on the beach, but the lightning had other plans. Even with the storm, that night felt calm — the kind of calm that happens when you just know. My first impression of Chris was that he was incredibly kind and somehow managed to keep the conversation flowing (which says a lot, because I don’t usually talk much!). That night in the middle of the storm turned out to be the start of something steady, warm, and a little bit magical — just like us.