It all started with a puppy… and more paninis than I care to admit. Having recently graduated college and come back to Portland in the midst of Covid’s fast rising reign over society, I was, like many, pretty dang alone. This led me to two things, the goal of trying every coffee shop in the neighborhood, and getting a puppy. Once I had the pup, the coffee shop pursuit took a hit, as most places wouldn’t let me bring her in. At one point, though, I remembered a suggestion my brother had given me to try a specific coffee shop in my neighborhood. So Sherpa and I began to frequent that coffee shop; I for the coffee and paninis, her for the treats, many of which were coming from Emily. Not long after, I was going less and less for the food, and more for the coffee shop girl that kept giving Sherpa attention despite her less than approachable demeanor (she has a fierce attitude). Fast forward through some small talk and a hundred or so paninis, and coffee shop girl did something I could never have imagined… She wrote her number on one of my panini wrappers. Soon after, a date was set up. Come date night, and I barely had the courage to talk to her, instead focusing on the cooking. Several hours later, and closer to morning than evening, we were still together, talking about everything we could think of, as if we’d never see each other again. Lucky for us, we did see each other again, and we’ve now decided that we need to see each other every moment we possibly can until hopefully we both die at the same time when we’re extremely old, at the end of our stories that collectively tell our story.

I was working at a coffee shop in the Pearl District in 2020, during the heat of Covid. A customer and his pup started coming in more and more frequently that winter. I sold him coffee & paninis, I gave her treats & whipped cream, and soon enough I learned their names - Sam and Sherpa. I was very drawn to these two, and didn’t know why. In January 2021, with the encouragement of my coworkers & best friends (some of whom you’ll see standing next to me on wedding day), I wrote my phone number on his panini, handed it out to him, and then tried to forget about it for the rest of the day. A bit later, he reached out and we set up our first date, having never even seen each other without masks covering our faces. Sam made me risotto, Sherpa chewed on one of my socks, and we stayed up later than we should have talking about anything and everything under the sun. A month later we planned our first trip together: 10 days in Alaska in winter. Most of that trip, we were stuck inside cabins, buses, and yurts; hiding from harsh snowstorms and nosy moose; and it was perfect. It set the tone for our relationship and our future - love, adventure, endless fun, exploration, and a happiness I didn’t know existed. We’ve been inseparable ever since. Fast forward to November 2022, right after Thanksgiving. In a rainstorm on the Olympic Coast, nearing sunset, with Sherpa running circles around us, Sam got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. Easiest decision of my life.