We met in Hawaii January 2018. Nik was recently stationed in Hawaii and his brother was out there visiting him. With nothing to do, Nik and his brother saw a salsa lesson was scheduled for that evening. Nik had taken some salsa classes before and, with the promise of a bar at the salsa class, Nik was excited to attend. The intro lesson had finished and then Caitlin showed up. Nik was slightly buzzed by then but it worked out because Caitlin was not and was feeling shy. Long story short, Nik ended up spilling his life story and getting Caitlin's number all in the same night. They set up another date to go hiking. Caitlin showed-up late, took the wrong path and got them both lost, but they enjoyed each others company enough to keep seeing each other. They moved in together and started to plan their return to the mainland! Nik chose to get out of the Navy because he knew he wanted to be with Caitlin and understood that it is extremely difficult to maintain a healthy and happy relationship while being stationed on a ship. Caitlin was happy with this decision and supported him through his transition to school and their move to Washington state. Nik and Caitlin are now homeowners, dog parents, and dancing partners! Nik proposed to Caitlin in September of 2021. They have taken a long time to plan their wedding to ensure that this event would be safe and fun for all of our family near and far!