Our story truly began after Brian had moved to Arizona in 2017 and shortly thereafter accepted a behavioral health job where he met Nicole's brother in law Matt. Over the course of the next year the two struck up a friendship, and over a few beers at a local brewery the following summer, Matt invited Brian to his daughters' joint birthday party the following day. It was here that Brian met "the in laws from Connecticut", and was introduced to Nicole as she darted about the kitchen preparing food for the party in her usual fashion. The two took notice of each other at the party, and over the course of the rest of the summer, Matt casually planted small seeds in each of their ears about one another, never suggesting anything romantic, but simply sharing when the other had a fun activity planned or how good of a person they were. Finally, at the end of the summer the two were reunited on a night out for a mutual friends birthday party. Brian sat across from Nicole, and when Nicole and her cousin Rachael ordered Irish car bombs to begin the evening, Brian saw an opening and ordered one with them. Throughout the night the two continued laughing and talking, and ended up together dancing the night away at a country bar, belting out Shania Twain until the early morning. After that night the two have not gone a day (realistically probably an hour) without talking to one another, and ultimately set up a first date in Old Town Scottsdale a few weeks later. Nicole and Brian continued to bond during the dinner date, and even though a Mariachi band had set up to play (LOUDLY) right next to their table, the two scream talked and smiled to each other across the table all evening. Flash forward to about a month later, and Nicole and Brian were officially dating, the two decided to take their first trip together up to Flagstaff for the weekend. This was at the point in Brian's journey in Arizona where he a. didn't fully grasp the massive elevation changes possible in Arizona, and b. how rapidly the Nissan Sentra he drove across the country was deteriorating. The drive up to Flagstaff was made mostly at about 20 MPH due to the Sentra barely being able to accelerate up the steep mountain passes. Running on fumes and fate alone they made it up the mountain to Flagstaff, and quickly began a tradition of visiting their now favorite breakfast spots, breweries and bars. The two made a plan to hike the Inner Basin Trail, which in the fall is ablaze with gorgeous yellow foliage atop the Aspen trees all the way to a large open meadow below the snow capped San Francisco Peaks. After reaching a small wooden shack that Nicole and Brian would later dub "The Love Shack", the two told each other that they loved each other for the first time. Over the course of the next three years, Nicole and Brian made a home together while continuing to travel to Flagstaff, the beaches of San Diego and back east to Connecticut and Rhode Island to spend time with Brian's family and friends. They would hike the trails of Arizona, visit their favorite restaurants, walk their dog Shia and play with Nicole's nieces and nephews. After those three years had blissfully passed, on a warm spring day in May, the two made that same hike up the Inner Basin Trail, and after reaching The Love Shack, Brian proposed to Nicole amongst the Ponderosa Pines and the crisp mountain air. The two spent the weekend celebrating in their favorite town and sharing their news with family and friends.