In true 'zillenial' fashion, this love story began on Tinder. Just days after the world shut down in March 2020 we swiped right and began trading stories about our adorable cats. After months of texting, we were finally able to meet in person for a romantic picnic at an abandoned school (seriously!). Zy showed Taylor how to break into a boarded up building and Taylor shared her many thoughts on the Star Wars sequels. A mutual hatred of Scrappy Doo confirmed what we already suspected - not even six feet of distance could stop the sparks between us.

As someone who's pretty unfamiliar with traditional romance, the idea of proposing to Taylor seemed pretty intimidating. I knew pretty early on that I wanted to spend every day for forever with her, but I also knew that being proposed to was something she had been thinking about since she was a little girl. If I was going to do it, I had to make it perfect. Luckily, I had her little brother Connor to get information from, about everything from potential locations to the type of ring that she would want. With ring in hand and the family beach trip coming up, it seemed like the best time to pop the question. Luckily (for me, not really for her), Taylor had to head back home a few days for work, giving me and her brothers plenty of time to rehearse how things would go down. Even with that preparation, a rainstorm and me being incapable of keeping a secret very nearly spoiled the plans. Still though, we braved the weather for our planned "family photos", and with Connor posing as a photographer (but really filming everything go down), I got down on my knee and asked Taylor for her hand in front of a choppy sea and some passing dolphins. She thankfully said yes, and now here we are!

Before Zy ever proposed to me, I knew I wanted to have my own opportunity to get down on one knee. I let them go first out of the kindness of my heart (and my own impatience to get a ring first). It took me over a year to find the perfect ring for Zy. It needed to be equal parts purple and sparkly. Once the ring was secured, time and place became the big questions. Among the many loves of Zy's life (me, shiny things, video games), one reigns supreme - roller derby. When their derby team's home opener landed on the four year anniversary of their name day, it seemed like fate. After the bout (which Zy played wonderfully in) we gathered for after-game congratulations and photos. I requested a photo of just Zy and I. Once the cameras were pointed on us, I got down on one knee and asked Zy if they were still cool with being married to me. Thank goodness they said yes!