We were both living in Seattle when we matched on Hinge. I invited him to a Yelp Elite event at Great Notion Brewing and he suggested getting drinks and apps at Ciudad in SODO first. We chatted over carrot margaritas and lamb riblets. I was impressed he was an adventurous eater, even if he was 15 minutes late! We went to the Yelp Event and had a great conversation that went below surface level. We had both recently lost a parent and both moved to Seattle knowing almost no one. Our date ended with a stroke of luck with me winning the raffle prize! Since we both love unique food, Tres suggested our second date to be at Nue in Cap Hill. He wanted to try the Thai water beetles. I am down for anything but these were intense! You bite into them and suck out the jollyrancher-flavored guts. It was after sharing that wild experience that I knew I had found someone special. We continued going on dates throughout December and we discussed spending New Years Eve together. After Christmas, Tres told me that his family surprised him by planning a visit in Seattle. He didn't want to ditch our plans, so he asked if he could tell them I was his girlfriend. I wasn't sure if he was asking me to be official or if we were just pretending, but I said yes. We had the most amazing time with his family! We continued seeing each other and I was accustomed to confusing dating dynamics, so I let the uncertainy simmer for weeks. Eventually, I asked for clarity on "what are we?" and he said, "I thought you were my girlfriend since December!"

TBD