Her story: Last January, I went to REI to buy a sleeping bag for an Arkansas backpacking trip. Lucky me got probably the best-looking sales associate in the store to help me pick one out. Well, I mean, he was cute, but I was more focused on the really nice Nemo down bag I ended up buying after nearly an hour of trying to decide. For unrelated reasons, I got a job at REI three months later--and that handsome man remembered me. Oh hey. I subtly crushed on him at work for a month until one day, I saw my opportunity. I had decided to buy a bike so, knowing he lived near me, I casually mentioned in conversation I would need to find someone to help me transport it home. A few days later, when he invited me to ride bikes after work, I accepted before he even finished his sentence. That night, I wrote in my daily journal that I was "glowing for the rest of the day." His story: In January 2019, Renee came into REI to purchase a sleeping bag for a backpacking trip. After a couple of hours deliberating between the two choices I'd helped her narrow down to she bought her now-cherished NEMO. (I now own the matching men's NEMO, how 'bout that?) In March, she got a job at REI. I told my friend Zac I was gonna chat up the cute new girl, the blonde one; I checked her name on the schedule and remembered selling her sleeping bag to her. She started talking about buying a bike and I let her know I could help her get it home, but she had to have it shipped to the store first... The day after my birthday I asked her to ride bikes and she answered before I even finished the question. Happy Birthday to me.