It was my first night living in San Francisco. After the best mother-daughter road trip from Boulder, CO we welcomed a night out in my new town, an especially legendary one organized by my best friend, Jamie. After an incredible sushi dinner in the Mission, she corralled us over to the 500 Club (a soon-to-be staple dive bar in our relationship) where Jamie had really pulled all the stops... she gathered all her favorite people in the city just to meet me (and my mom)! The night might be a bit of a blur, but I still remember Chris from that night... mostly because he stood out as a handsome, kinda red-headed, tall dude with a mustache who liked bikes. What started out as friendship grew to a close friendship over many beers, seaside adventures, and bike rides. And soon months down the road, that close friendship grew into something more. I knew he was something special after one of our first dates when I crashed on my mountain bike, breaking a couple of ribs and dislocating another, and we could still laugh and have fun through the pain (after he made sure I was ok, of course - it wouldn't be Chris without helping first). Years later, here we are... living our dream in the mountains, riding bikes, shredding (and shoveling) the snow, and drinking beers by the lake... and I couldn't feel luckier to have found my partner, my best friend that fateful night years ago.

It was a night like many others... I found myself wrapping up a late night at the office only to be coerced into joining the GoPro crew at one of our favorite establishments, the 500 Club. I had a quick beer at home before the three-block walk to that dimly lit bar, adorned by red interior lights and a large neon sign from a bygone San Francisco era. Jamie had been the one who threw up the bat signal that one fateful night. Her best friend had just moved into town and we were all gathering to give her a warm SF welcome. I admittedly hadn't thought much about the invite as the 500 Club served as my living room for much of my early days in San Francisco. I walked in and most of the crew was there except Jamie and her best friend, Lizzie. I still remember Lizzie walking into the bar with her mom and Jamie. A bubbly blonde with a wide stylish hat and a big smile on her face. I remember thinking to myself, "Who in the Stevie Nicks just walked into this bar?" At that point, I knew something had changed. Someone came into my life, at the time as a friend, that would forever change who I was as a man...