Mike and Chantal never expected to fall in love. Mike, a native Washingtonian, grew up in Spokane and has lived there ever since. Content and fun-loving, Mike happily enjoyed raising his son, Hayden, and exploring the outdoors together, when not working at Crux, an international drilling company. He never expected that, three years ago, a girl would move to town that would turn his world upside down. Chantal, on the other hand, knew she was starting a fresh chapter of her life; she was starting a new job in a new city, after all. But her first steps into Crux were actually the first steps of a story she didn’t anticipate. A Bozeman, MT transplant originally hailing from San Luis Obispo, CA, Chantal graduated with a BS in Modern Languages and Literature, and had lived abroad in Costa Rica and Egypt. A consummate traveler, she moved to Spokane in spring of 2014 and walked into Crux two weeks later. It would be cheating to say the rest is history—although it is!—but despite their immediate attraction, Mike and Chantal did not formally date until a year and a half later— a span during which they became trusted friends, discovering just how much the other added to their lives. As a couple, they share their passion for the outdoors, experiencing new adventures, and spending time with family. On a visit to Montana this spring, almost three years after their first meeting, Mike proposed to the woman who had been colleague and friend before stealing his heart. It was her birthday. Chantal, in front of some of her closest friends, joyfully committed herself to the partner she had not expected to find. Mike, Chantal, and Hayden live together in Liberty Lake, WA, close to Mike’s parents, and are excited for the next chapter of their lives. Mike and Chantal love to travel, and look forward to honeymooning in Greece, a destination long on each of their bucket lists.