It all started on March 15, when Chris first messaged me on Hinge… and I responded. Then he took nine whole days to reply. I answered right away (obviously). Two days later, we were deep in conversation and never stopped. We ditched the app, and began our own little pandemic-era romance.

Our “first date” was not exactly conventional—March 27 involved a cardboard box outside his house and toilet paper. A week later, same box, but this time he deposited my favorite coffee creamer and we waved through the window. Soon after, I borrowed my dad’s truck to pick up an elliptical he'd found off of Next Door to take to his place. And so it began—our dating at a distance, 6 feet apart, we sat outside and chatted, knocking on the outdoor coffee table for luck. We laughed through distant dinners, played games on the patio and finally inside at a healthy distance, and confessed that neither of us was dating anyone else.

By May, the world felt a little safer—and so did we. On the 9th, we kissed, albeit Chris a little hesitantly. But watching the COVID-19 numbers on the county report and seeing only 35 people were ill, I felt it was safe to get slightly closer than 6 feet. And so we did...  

On the 15th, we became official. A week later, Memorial Day weekend turned into a magical road trip through childhood memories, and meeting each other’s families— mine from the bottom of my Mill Valley home's stairs, his by Zoom. My very first conversation with his mom turned into reassuring her—playfully—that Chris was, in fact, a good kisser. She grinned and asked, “Can you pucker?” turning the icebreaker into an instant family inside joke.

We also realized how many parallels our lives had.

That summer was a whirlwind of bike rides, beach days, backyard picnics, family introductions, Yosemite hikes, drive-in movies, raccoon encounters, and discovering that the girls liked (and sometimes even loved) me. Kiki announced she was “good with” Chris marrying me, and we started feeling like maybe there was something there.

We celebrated holidays together—Fourth of July bike parades, Thanksgiving blessings, Christmas morning with all the girls—and stole away for trips to Mendocino, Pebble Beach, Paso Robles, and Bend. We shared everything from silly text exchanges to side-by-side massages, late-night stargazing to hauling my dad’s manure (yes, really). We navigated challenges too—supporting each other through losses, stress, exes, and sickness.

Somewhere between the raccoon at Stowe Lake and the girls making me my own Minecraft world, we knew this wasn’t just dating. In August of 2021, Chris said he could see a future spending the rest of his life with me.

And honestly? So did I.