We met at Sisters Folk Festival while enjoying the band Polecat! We danced and chatted between songs, and decided that we didn't want to stop dancing together at the end of the show... or at the end of the festival. Our joyful dancing even inspired a fellow concertgoer to take a video of us (see below). With Andy living in Bend and Ruby in Portland, we started visiting each other every few weeks, having a blast as we became closer and closer.

In March 2020, the amazing dog Salix came into our lives! During the pandemic, we both worked from home, which was helpful for Andy's puppy-raising and also allowed us to visit each other for longer periods.

After about a year and a half of long-distance dating, Ruby decided to move to Bend. Thus began a new era of spending daily life with each other! Now we could spend more time together playing music, exploring the local mountains and rivers, enjoying meals with friends and family and of course dancing it up to live music.

We went on a two-night backpacking trip to a gorgeous unnamed lake in the Jefferson wilderness. On our layover day, Andy took Ruby on an 18-mile trail run up to the base of Three Fingered Jack. When we got back to our campsite at the lake, we had a snack then sat down and looked at the view. As the sun was setting, Andy asked Ruby to marry him!! Ruby said yes, of course!! Afterward Andy reeled up a bottle of homemade cider he had hidden in the lake and they celebrated beneath the high mountain twilight.