We’re getting married!

While celebrating a mutual friend's birthday in a crowded bar, I met Jenn. We had a short conversation, but I instantly had a crush and knew she was a special person. I couldn't shut up about her while one of her best friends kindly drove me home (I may not remember that part). During the next four years, we would cross paths when our friends would get together and found that we enjoyed each other’s company and had a similar sense of humor. She is the funniest person I have ever met. Then it happened, life brought us both to a place where I could ask her on a date. Our first date was exactly four years after we met. The date was perfect, we had a good dinner, attempted an escape room and then went for drinks and couldn't stop talking the whole night. Everything that followed was better than I could have planned.

We were celebrating our four-year anniversary (and our cat, Gilly’s birthday) with some hiking and a night away in Sandpoint. I chose the hike with less cougar sightings, and Ryan prepared some anniversary-related questions for us to chat about while we made the multiple-mile trek in the snow. The sun was shining, the sky was blue and clear, and there were plenty of trail dogs who stopped to say hi to us. We answered questions about our favorite moments over the last four years, cracked inside jokes, daydreamed about traveling, and shared goals for the years to come. I was feeling so connected and blissful after reflecting on where we started, who we’ve become, and how our love has grown. Thighs deep in snow, we decided to turn around and eat our packed lunches on a bench we passed on our way up. With the bench in site, Ryan said, “There’s only one question left.” In classic Jenn fashion, I jokingly replied, “Oh yeah, is it ‘Will you marry me?’” When I turned around, he was down on one knee and asked me to marry him. Little did I know but Ryan told most of our friends and family about his plan, some of whom knew months before it happened. Props to Ryan for nailing a secret proposal and props to everyone who knew ahead of time for not spilling the beans!