We lived a stone's throw away from each other in Chicago the day Jeff and I both “swiped right”. Jeff would take the El to work downtown, I would take the bus. Jeff would go to the local bar across the street, I would go to the bar next door. There were many ways in which our lives could have overlapped, but didn't, until we matched on Bumble. Our first date at Kanela Breakfast Club was very much of a screening interview to ensure neither partner had intentions of murdering one another. A romantic second date at Eataly was where we realized we were locked in, murderers or not.

Jeff had been planning the proposal mere days after we booked flights to Europe. Several months later with the Delta variant surging in the United States, I had a lot of apprehension if we would be able to travel internationally. After booking a non-refundable photographer to capture the engagement, Jeff had no other option than to stay optimistic. We arrived in Switzerland early September 2021 with our dear friends Cord and Robin. Jeff and I had an early morning hike up to the striking alpine lake of Bachalpsee in the Bernese Oberland. He told me to pack another set of clothes so that we could take pictures for our 2021 Christmas card (verrrrry clever). We took an expensive gondola ride up the alps after the mountain troll didn’t accept our pre-paid tickets. I was unfazed and in awe of the views while Jeff winced every time I reached my arm outside of the gondola to snap another picture. He later told me, lovingly, “I was going to be so mad at you if this particular day turned into scaling the mountain for your lost phone.” The hike was tougher than either of us would like to admit, but the destination was unbeatable. I'm not sure if it was Covid and the lack of tourists, but we managed to find ourselves almost completely alone and surrounded by more cows than people. I have a fond memory of Jeff gently grabbing my shoulders to keep me from wandering away before he dropped to one knee. Cue to the loving words and tears! I said yes, unequivocally.