Chase and I met in college, probably at a FIJI party. For 8+ years, we remained just friends. The turning point came on a random Portland sunny day in January 2020. I couldn't find a single person willing to sit on a patio and enjoy the sunshine with me, so I called Chase, because I knew he'd be down. What started as drinks in the sun turned into nearly 8+ hours of hopping from place to place and talking about everything. By the end of that night, I remember thinking there was something different about this guy than the one I knew in college. Then Covid happened. We didn't see each other for almost a year, but we talked frequently, which if you know Chase, you know is no small feat. He isn't exactly known for his response times. We made it official at our friends Logan and Elia's 4th of July BBQ, when Elia asked Chase point blank if we were boyfriend and girlfriend and we finally had to have the conversation. In true us fashion, our anniversary is 7/8-9 just like the joke, so we can never forget it. As for the proposal, Chase quietly snuck back into our apartment during a walk with our dog Raven to set up roses and ring pops. The ring pops are an inside joke from the night I came home from a girls night feeling impatient (and a little tipsy) and dramatically declared he should just "put a ring pop on it." We have been together five years and have experienced so much together: moving across the country, traveling to five countries and counting, and recently buying our first home. We are so excited to see what this next chapter has in store for us. The best way I can describe Chase is cool, calm, and creative. I love watching his brain work, whether he's sketching out some big idea or going on about how he's going to turn Lloyd Center into an entertainment complex like Texas Live. He has the best sense of humor and endless patience for the movie and TV tangents I go on and the references I throw at him that go completely over his head. But more than anything, being with Chase has always just felt like hanging out with my best friend.