Staci and Steven first crossed paths in early 2014 at a mutual friend’s going away party. Although the attraction was instant, nothing came of it since Steven was a loyal boyfriend in a long-distance relationship. Fate brought them together again, just a few months later, when they both camped with the Green Absinthe Dome at Apogaea, a regional Burning Man event in Bailey, Colorado. Yet again, the timing wasn’t right. Steven was still in a relationship, and Staci was just beginning her kidney cancer journey. But…the universe wasn’t done with them yet. Seven years later, in September of 2021, they unexpectedly reunited at a Yacht Rock party on that very same Bailey land during another festival called Elsewhence. They caught up briefly, but as festival magic tends to go, Staci was swept into another conversation, and they didn’t see each other again for the rest of the weekend. Then, just a couple of months later, they found themselves at a Halloween party at a mutual friend’s house. This time, they sat on the couch talking until the sun came up. Yet still, for some strange reason, neither one had the courage to ask for the other’s number. Two days later, Staci couldn’t stop thinking about Steven. On a whim, she searched for him on Facebook, hoping to send a message telling him how much she had enjoyed their conversation…only to find they were already Facebook friends! She composed a sweet message, hit send, then was completely shocked, when a message from Steven appeared at the EXACT same moment. Evidently, Steven had been thinking about her as well! It was then that they both realized this was going to be different than anything they had experienced before. Their first date was on November 7, 2021. When Steven asked if he could pick up Staci for their first date, they discovered they lived less than 5 minutes away from one another and that Staci would drive past Steven’s house, almost daily! They started their date at Root Down, which turned into a walk through the park (where they shared their first kiss!)…which led to playing pickleball… which led to eating tacos and dairy free ice cream while watching a movie on Staci’s couch. Needless to say, the rest is history. If you're interested in reading our initial Facebook conversation, head to the gallery now!