The story of Us is truly one for the modern era. A well-timed swipe right (@Tinder sponsor us, please!!) would start a journey neither of us ever expected.

Chris had just graduated from CSU and was back in Montrose for a few days before his Lake Powell boys' trip with JP (shout out to the best man!). Alli had also just returned home from her freshman year for the summer. Neither of us were in the market for a relationship, but the universe had other plans. Chris' profile was irresistible, featuring pictures of him cuddling a dog and playing with kids. He was similarly captivated with Alli's account, impressed by the shots of her worldly travels. A swipe and 'Hey, gorgeous!' later, and we were planning to meet up for a casual date.

Our first date took place on June 3rd, 2019. We had originally wanted to drive up to Ouray and hike the Perimeter Trail, but poor weather had us pivot to a leisurely stroll around the Black Canyon instead. We hit it off quickly, comfortably talking about anything and everything those first few hours. After we'd had our fill with the outdoors, but not each other, we decided to extend our date and get some coffee and wander around Target (this should have been the point where Alli knew he was The One!). STILL not wanting to part, we went for a drive along Highway 50 to enjoy the Colorado summer. For the very first and last time in his life, Chris drove under the speed limit, saying years later that it was because he'd rather spend more time getting to know Alli than go fast. We did eventually part ways that evening, but not before planning a second date the for the following day.

Chris would confess to Alli much later that immediately after that second date, he told JP that he thought she might be The One. JP laughed it off, of course, but Chris was insistent! He even made sure to save the trail map and entry receipt from the Black Canyon, seeming to know we'd want to have them framed and hanging in our first apartment together, three years later.

Alli was not as nearly as confident as Chris was at this juncture. True to our personalities, she was focused on all the potential negatives while he preferred to look at the definite positives. Alli, at only 19 and with three more years of school left in Philly, was very unsure about signing up for long distance right out of the gate. Nonetheless, she too felt that there was something different about this boy and couldn't resist saying 'yes' to 'just a summer fling'.

Chris continued to charm Alli that first summer and into the fall, when we made it official on August 18th, 2019.

Long distance had nothing on us, as we alternated months visiting each other in Philly, Denver, and so many places in between. We had an early trial at living together during lockdown and were so successful that we decided to celebrate by adopting two fur babies! We finally started our full-time life together in 2022 with our move to Seattle.

And the rest, as they say, is history.

Stay tuned for the proposal video!