We are so excited to celebrate with you!

When Ryan and Nicole met, Nicole had just moved from Temple, Texas to Gilroy, California. Ryan, a California native, was studying for his Professional Engineering (PE) license exam. During breaks he went onto a dating site called Bumble, where he first saw Nicole. Nicole: I remember looking at Ryan's profile for a while before swiping right and thinking, "he seems nice, and has a cute dog!" and sent him a message. Ryan: When I first saw Nicole's profile, I remember thinking she seems super sweet, likes to do active things and enjoys study picnics outside with friends. Having just spent a lot of time studying for my PE exam, Nic immediately struck me as a very genuine and wholesome person who I wanted to get to know. Nicole: As a longtime student, when Ryan said he was studying for his exam, I must admit, I was baffled he was online dating while studying for an exam. I thought, “hmmm, there is no way he is going to be able to date while he is studying for such an important exam”. So, I said, "I would like to invite you and Rudy out for a hike, but I know it might not be possible because of your test." Ryan: Nicole was actually a lot more flirtatious than that...and straight to the point! After 4-5 initial small talk messages she said something to the effect of "I would love to explore the beautiful waterfalls at Uvas Canyon County Park with you and Rudy, but you're busy studying for your test, so I guess we can't ;)" Nicole: I know what I want! Fortunately, Ryan couldn't allow Rudy to miss out on such a great opportunity, and a hike was planned for that weekend. That Saturday, I was running a bit late to meet Ryan. I remember running into the coffee shop, seeing him, and stopping in my tracks and thinking: “wow, that is a tall guy!” Then I saw Rudy and thought "wow, that is a huge dog!" I have traveled and lived in many different places, met a lot of people, so I feel I have developed a keen sense about people. When I met Ryan, I knew I was meeting someone good, someone I could trust. I jumped in the car and off on a hike we went! Ryan: I knew from her profile that she likes to be active, so I suggested a hike for our first date. In hindsight, it might have been seen as risky to take someone far out into the forest on a hike for a first date. Luckily for me she loves hiking just as much as I do! After Nicole’s intense phone interview the prior evening, Nic, Rudy, and I all piled into my car and we drove to Uvas Canyon County Park for our first date! Nicole: It was late October, instead of waterfalls, we found interesting rocks on the dry creek beds. Even though there was no water flowing, we were quickly swept into conversations about our childhoods, our mutual love of nature, and books. I knew I met someone special when we came to a creek we had to cross to keep hiking, Ryan picked up Rudy, lion king style, from under his front legs, and lifted him into the air to walk across the mud! Rudy did not struggle – he looked at me with an expression that seemed to say "yep, I am one spoiled pup!" Ryan: We were so engaged with our conversations, we explored the entire park in just one day. I immediately knew I had met someone very special. I didn't want the date to stop. I was so happy she seemed to be having as much fun as I was getting to know her!