Fall 2019 — A Hinge Match in Lisle, Illinois We matched on Hinge in the fall of 2019 and met in Lisle, Illinois. The conversation was easy, the connection felt natural, and things escalated from “a great first date” to “this might actually be something” pretty fast. December 25, 2019 — Making It Official About a month in, we found out we’d soon be long distance due to a job opportunity for David —he was moving to Phoenix. David wasn’t sold on the idea of a long distance relationship and attempted to end things before the distance even began. Carina, however, said “No” and convinced him to give it a real chance. On Christmas Day, we made it official. 2019–2021 — Two Time Zones & A Lot of Flights For the next year and a half, we kept the relationship going between two airports and two time zones. We balanced FaceTime calls, weekend visits, and way too many goodbyes at the terminal. It wasn’t the easiest chapter, but it worked—and it set the tone for everything that came later. May 2021 — Finally in the Same City In May 2021, we both moved from Chicago to Phoenix and finally started life in the same city. Carina moved into her first solo apartment, and we spent the time exploring Arizona, taking our first international trip together to Tulum in August 2022, and adopting Luna (a decision Carina led… and David now claims proudly). May 2023 — Moving In Together Two years later, Carina moved into David’s condo in Scottsdale. Luna immediately took ownership of the whole place. September 2023 — Our First Home Not long after, we bought our first home together in Phoenix. The early days included demo in the living room and kitchen, choosing flooring, tile, and light fixtures, and making all the decisions that come with turning a house into a home. 2023–2025 — A Lot of Passports, Memories & Miles Travel quickly became a shared love. Together, we made our way through Mexico, Barcelona, Lisbon, London, and Madrid—and somehow still liked each other after long flights and navigating foreign transit systems. June 19, 2025 — The Proposal in Panama City, Panama While traveling in Panama City, David pulled off a proposal that had been in the works for months. He had hidden the ring at his brother’s place the entire time to keep Carina from finding it—an impressive feat given her talent for noticing everything. He managed to keep the surprise intact all the way to Panama. On the day of the proposal, David told Carina they were heading to a speakeasy. Instead, she was led to a completely different hotel room, not their own. When the door opened, she found a photographer waiting and a beautifully decorated balcony set up just for the moment. David proposed, Carina said yes, and the next chapter officially began.