Our story began in the thick of the pandemic. Things were looking pretty bleak in terms of being able to meet anyone naturally “in the wild” so we both pivoted to look online. It’s not like anything serious would come of it…. (spoiler alert, it did). Through all the swiping we came across each other and it was a match! It was a couple of weeks of texting and snapchats before our first date. Sean (recently moved back from Chicago) drove us to Mukilteo beach and then, of course, The Nock Point where he walked through the different bow set ups, how to properly shoot, and a couple of competitive rounds of 21. Cassie, knowing nothing about archery, was impressed with Sean’s skills but was determined to beat him. Little did she know that Sean’s sly move to let her win only guaranteed a future ice cream date. We both weren’t sure that this would turn into anything, yet continued to talk and go on dates nonetheless. We sat out at gasworks, went wine tasting, and Sean, pulling all the moves, even cooked an entire salmon dinner that he caught himself. Several weeks later, we made things official at the end of the summer, marking the start to our non stop adventures. Cassie reintroduced Sean to Seattle and shared her love for all things food and traveling. To her delight, Sean was quick to learn how to roll lumpia and was down to try any new restaurant she wanted. Sean jumped right back into his favorite PNW activities, teaching Cassie how to catch and clean squid, fish, clams, and crabs. Together we became board game hoarders, red wine connoisseurs, mahjong enthusiasts, golf novices, and each other's favorite person. We traveled near and far to San Diego, San Juan Island, Whidbey Island, Westport, Illinois, Wisconsin, Hawaii, Japan, Palm Springs, and (of course) Portugal but more on that later. We faced challenges and loss, moved in together, and started a new chapter with Sean’s new pup, Max. Fast forward to May of 2025, we went on a trip together to Portugal where Sean decided to pop the big question. It was our first day in Porto and while meandering down to the riverfront, Sean insisted we ride the gondola over the city to the park we wanted to go to. As soon as we took off, Cassie started taking pics when Sean dropped to a knee and proposed. Cassie, in shock, started to take pics of him (because someone had to get the shot) which Sean promptly told her to stop. Adrenaline pumping from both the heights and the proposal, Cassie finally said yes! What started as an unlikely pandemic match has grown into a love we can’t imagine living without. We can’t wait to celebrate the next chapter of our story with all of you!