We met on a dating app called Hinge during the pandemic…also known as the app meant to be deleted. Following a couple weeks of talking over the phone, we decided to go on a date. Our original first date was supposed to be dinner and bowling over the weekend. However, I suddenly received a free evening after my car got rear ended on my way to work, and I decided to take that opportunity to meet Eli early. We went out to Nashville North, a local country swing dance bar in Idaho. We played corn hole, arm wrestled, and danced all night long (even though Eli had never swing danced a day of his life). He didn’t care that we looked absolutely ridiculous on that dance floor, but we had the best time flinging each other around. We got multiple comments that night from strangers asking “when’s the wedding” and how surprised they were that that was our first date, because our energy made it seem like we were deeply in love. Needless to say… we’ve been hooked on eachother ever since.

Our proposal took place in Spokane, Washington at a local hiking spot near Indian Canyon. We took the dogs on a hike since it was a beautiful day out, and decided to go to a new spot that claimed to have a waterfall. We spent about 20 or so minutes trying to locate this waterfall without having to hike through a bunch of mud. Once we finally found the waterfall, we noticed that there were tons of people down there with multiple dogs, so we decided to hike upwards for a better view. Once we got to the top, we realized that we were on a residential road, and that it was not meant to be hiked. We started our way back down the hill when Eli suggested that we should stop to get some photos of the dogs. He held the ball behind me (to hold their attention) while I snapped a few photos. Once I finally turned around, Eli was down on one knee asking me to marry him. Of course, I said yes! Through our celebration, the ball fell out of Eli’s jacket pocket and went over the side of the cliff. Josie, being obsessed with the ball, followed right behind and fell about 20 feet. Eli hiked down to her and carried her back to the car, while I frantically called the vet. One veterinarian visit and a few staples later, and we had a highly spoiled Josie and a new fiancé.