Zack and I met freshman year at Fort Lewis College; a school that we both picked based on the highly ranked cycling team, and the beauty of Durango. Day one of classes we were both in the same Chem 150 class and I decided to sit next to Zack; thus the joke was born "we had chemistry right off the bat"... Over the next year we became friends, going on adventures in and around Durango, cycling almost year round, traveling around the country to races, and helping each other though the freshmen drama that inevitably cropped up. During our sophomore year, after track nationals, Zack asked if we could give dating each other a try. At first, I said no. Zack was my best friend, the person I felt safest with, and the person I wanted to go with on all the adventures. I was terrified that a possible breakup would change that. But love is powerful, and the rest is history. Looking back now after 7+ years together, through all the ups and downs of starting a relationship, four months apart while I studied abroad in Spain, graduating from Fort Lewis College, through losing my dad to cancer, Zack starting a career at Swan, me moving to Denver while in nursing school, and buying a house in Durango, we know that our friendship is the foundation of our relationship. Simply put, we still really like hanging out with each other. And yes, we had chemistry right off the bat.