We first connected by matching on Tinder (about 8 times). After John's many attempts to ask me out, we finally met for dinner at Beacon Hills in Aksarben Village. John talked about a recent camping trip and various concerts he had attended. I was shy and didn't talk much, except about my cats and love of working with teenagers at Boys Town.

Our second date was a picnic in Memorial Park that included cheese, baguettes, fruit, and a bottle of rosé. John bought stemless wine glasses for the picnic, which now have a permanent spot on our bar.

We traveled to Olympic National Park in Washington, where we camped on the shore of Lake Crescent and hiked through the many different areas of the park. Olivia had never been camping and famously hated the outdoors. Olivia's family thought they would never see me again, but little did they know this was the first camping trip of many.

I proposed in Rocky Mountain National Park, one of our favorite fall destinations. Our first trip to this national park was in 2022 on an impromptu camping trip at Olivia's request to see the fall colors in the mountains. We fell in love with the yellow aspens, the bugling elk, and the crisp air, which made it the perfect place for our engagement. With a 5 am timed-entry reservation, we took a beautiful sunrise hike to Lake Haiyaha and found the perfect boulder for a mid-hike snack. I set up a tripod while Olivia took in the view. She was (not so) surprised when I got down on one knee. We finished the day with a brewery tour and a fancy dinner, complete with a bottle of champagne.