They say no one meets IRL anymore, but we were lucky enough to have friends who helped us make that happen! Mary Lynn, Tracy's old roommate and friend, would go with her now-husband, Evan, to watch Timbers soccer games with Tyson. When ML and Evan put together that Tracy was single, Tyson was single, that mayyybe they'd hit it off, they decided to set up a Timbers date. Tracy was still unsure after that first meeting, but quickly realized on their second date that they were made for each other. Tyson didn’t watch much of that Timbers game (a good sign), and realized after a dragonfly incident on their second date that he was "in trouble" (also a good sign)!

Tracy had just finished a week of solo travel in southern Japan and Tyson a week of skiing in northern Japan. They met up in Osaka for their week of travel together, and took the bullet train from Osaka to Odawara to rent a car to drive to Mt Fuji. After a delicious lunch of Hoto, Tyson suggested driving to a viewpoint. Tracy, the perennial planner, suggested two different ones instead, not understanding the (well-researched) plan—because, yes, there were Google Earth views involved in Tyson's selection of the perfect spot. At the viewpoint, they waited for a group of TikTok teens to leave, and Tyson got down on one knee and proposed at the secluded lakeshore on a beautiful clear day with a perfect view of Mt. Fuji.