We both ran Cross Country and Track and Field for the University of Pittsburgh. For the first couple years of college, we did not interact much but often saw each other in passing. Chris distinctly remembers debating Emily on the bus ride home from one (of many) Pitt long runs at the Panhandle trail. Chris was staunchly defending dogs as the superior pet to cats, for which Emily gave him a hard time. Little did we know, we would proudly become cat parents shortly thereafter. Booza does not hold a grudge. Despite being teammates and sharing mutual attraction from a distance, it ultimately took a dating app, yes - Tinder, to bring us together. After matching on the app, we had our first date at Fuel and Fuddle (RIP). Emily arrived 15 minutes late, to which Chris had no idea the late arrival would foreshadow Emily's chronic lack of punctuality. Ultimately, Emily took the early lead in the relationship. She challenged Chris to be a worthy partner, expecting he put the energy in the relationship she knew she deserved. He's always admired her for it. After graduating in 2017, Chris moved to D.C. for grad school and his first job. He stepped up, regularly taking the Greyhound to visit Emily on weekends while she wrapped up her senior year at Pitt. Even after Emily graduated, navigating our early careers while juggling a long distance relationship distance was difficult. Nevertheless, we both knew we were in it for the long haul and in the end the struggles of distance were worth it. Chris eventually moved back to Pittsburgh in 2020. The rest is history. We've grown as best friends and life partners. We've had a lot of laughs, a few adventures, a few squabbles, and countless small moments of affection. We're looking forward each and every one of them to come.

Over the years, we have found a love for hiking together. Usually it consists of Chris pushing the pace and Emily trying to keep up. We love it because it allows us to travel to beautiful places, be active, and be outside. So it's not surprising that when Chris finally proposed after nearly 8 years together, it was on a hike. And not just any hike - a winter snowshoe in the Rockies! The proposal was not a surprise; we had traveled to New York together to pick out the ring the prior November, and actually booked our wedding venue before that. Though Emily knew the proposal would be sometime that winter, it was only about a week before the engagement that she became certain it would be on their upcoming ski trip. We were standing in the kitchen one night chatting, and Chris said, "I was thinking I would do it next Tuesday". Chris swears to this day that he was much more vague and mysterious in that moment. Chris fully intended to propose at the top of the hike (near a lake), but about 5 miles in we came to a wide open clearing with a picturesque view of the mountains. Chris was a few steps in front of Emily on the trail (shocker), just as it started to snow lightly. Chris knew that was the time; he pulled the ring out and got down on one knee. Chris had a whole romantic speech planned, about 40% of which was actually delivered due to his nervousness. Emily gave a resounding yes. The hike was right outside Boulder, CO, where Emily's sister Amanda lives, so we celebrated with her that evening. The day after the proposal, we were meeting some friends for a ski trip in Breckenridge and were able to spend a wonderful trip skiing and celebrating with friends.