We met 12 years ago in the summer between Junior and Senior year of high school. It wasn't love at first sight, but we did strike up an immediate friendship. Our friend group was very close and we spent lots of time together playing video games in our parents basements, sitting around bonfires, and traveling to Galena. We stayed close through college and after Alex moved to California. Ryan visited Alex in California on his own a few times, and while our friends and family were curious, we didn't really think anything of it. Finally, one summer at Lollapalooza, we started to see each other in a different light. Alex went back to California and we started secretly having a long distance relationship. The secret lasted all of one week before our friends caught on. Many flights later, we decided to move in together in San Francisco. And after living (and quarantining) together for almost 2 years, we still like each other :)

During quarantine we decided to travel across the US and visit national parks. We had talked about getting engaged prior to leaving, so Alex was anticipating a proposal on the trip considering all of the amazing places we would be visiting. But weeks went by, we traveled from amazing place to amazing place, and still no proposal. Alex assumed Ryan had the ring the whole time. Little did she know that it was being mailed to our AirBnB near the Grand Canyon 30 minutes before we had to check-out needless to say - Ryan was very stressed that day). A few days later, Ryan suggested stopping for a hike when we arrived in Moab, UT. He was acting strange...not letting Alex hold her backpack or put anything it and being very chatty. We arrived at the top of a waterfall and while we were looking at it Ryan asks "Hey, did you see this rock?". Cheesy (but perfect) he was holding Alex's ring and asked her to marry him.