The couple met in 2012 through mutual friends and began dating soon after. Kirsten was working at a local ski shop and Marcus offered to teach her to snowboard. After a few months together they amicably parted ways. Kirsten ended up moving to New Jersey and Marcus moved to Colorado. They spent the next 8 years apart, and although they dated other people, they stayed in touch. Fast forward to 2019/2020, when they both became single again, Kirsten still in NJ and Marcus living back in NC. In the Spring of 2020 amid the uncertainty of quarantine, they found comfort in reconnecting again. They talked on the phone every day, some days for hours at a time. Kirsten ended up making a surprise trip to NC where she reconnected with Marcus, and the two became inseparable in the weeks that followed. Quarantine encouraged them to explore their love of outdoor adventures together again, and the two spent their days hiking, chasing waterfalls, taking trips to Lake Keowee, exploring Charleston, and taking drives on the Blue Ridge Parkway. They made the most of that month together and on June 2, a few days before Kirsten had to go back to NJ, they became a couple at Devil's Courthouse. Over the next 5 months the couple endured the stress of a long-distance relationship, using their love to carry them through until Kirsten was able to make the move back to NC. Marcus visited her 3 times over that 5-month span; he met her closest friends, was her date to her MOH Megg’s wedding, and helped move her back to NC. In the Spring of 2021 the couple took a cross-country trip together to snowboard in Colorado and explore Utah. After a day of snowboarding Marcus suggested they watch the sunset at the nearby Turquoise Lake (Kirsten's favorite color). Kirsten was enjoying the peace and calm of the pastel hues reflecting off the frozen lake when Marcus told her to close her eyes to go grab something...when she opened her eyes he was down on one knee and after (many) tears of joy, she said YES.