Picture it: March 2020. The world? Confused. The shelves? Empty. The people? Desperate for connection. Enter: Colin Nye. For a little backstory, they orbited each other's circle for many a year. Colin grew up in the circus, Gabriela grew up with circus kids when they weren't in leotards. However, their paths never crossed until they were full-fledged adults. In 2017, Gabriela moved back to Redlands from San Francisco and found Colin bartending in the back room of a dive bar. She walked up, asked for a shot of tequila and a Corona, tipped $10, and faded away like an early morning dream. Colin knew this woman would change his life. Over time, Colin and Gabriela's interactions at the bar increased. They discussed music, their love of dogs, and who would be responsible to clean the bathrooms at the end of the night. They shared inside jokes about bar patrons and their friendship blossomed. In early 2020, shortly after the pandemic began wreaking havoc across the world, Colin decided to finally make a move on the girl who had rooted like a fungus in his mind and in his heart. Gabriela agreed to meet for a doggy play date, and once they realized their dogs were in love, they decided to give love a try for themselves.

No, this photo isn't the best one of us. But this night we drank wine, read books, and picnicked in the Tuileries Garden while we watched the Eiffel Tower sparkle. It's a photo of one of our happiest memories and one we will never forget. We think it's a good representation of us - a little messy, a little cute, a little silly, and a whole lot in love.