Met on Hinge! Anna "liked" one of the photos on Bruce's profile, he responded by asking if she'd read "The Silmarillion" by JRR Tolkien, and then they talked non-stop for the rest of the day!

First date! Bruce and Anna decided to meet halfway between Spokane Valley and Sandpoint at the Red Robin in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. They sat down to eat around noon and didn't leave until they realized that dinner was being served!

First kiss! After a muddy walk along Sandpoint's waterfront and enjoying the view of Lake Pend Oreille from the Third Avenue Pier, they watched one of Bruce's favorite movies at his house and then had their first kiss!

Due to stay-at-home orders and increasing cases of coronavirus in Washington and Idaho, Bruce and Anna were made to get to know each other long-distance. They used a Netflix party extension to watch movies together, and played Minecraft and Geoguessr (a Google streetview/geography guessing game) while talking over Discord. And they texted... A lot! They got to know each other's personalities, pasts, quirks, likes and dislikes, opinions, dreams, and everything in between! Thanks to all this, and gut instinct, they both knew that they were meant to be more than friends, and they first told each other (via text) that they loved each other!

Thanks to decreasing COVID cases (at the time), Bruce and Anna were able to see each other in person again. Most of the time, Anna went up to Sandpoint to spend time with Bruce. They went on drives all over Bonner and Boundary counties, had all sorts of outdoorsy adventures, took walks through Bruce's neighborhood, or sometimes just stayed in and watched a movie. Despite the hour drive for Anna (one way, that is), it was well worth the gas money!

Anna met Bruce's brother and sister-in-law, Mitch and Beth.

Bruce met Anna's parents, Greg and Annette, and her sister, Katy.

Anna met Bruce's step-brother, Zach.

Anna met Bruce's parents, Jeff and Kristin.

First road trip! Bruce had shown Anna around his hometown of Sandpoint quite a lot, so Anna wanted to show Bruce around her childhood hometown of Wenatchee and the surrounding area. They drove around town, went for a walk in Anna's old neighborhood, and visited Leavenworth and the Wenatchee Valley. They also confirmed that they could still get along after a whole day in the car together!

First holiday season together! Since Anna's parents moved at the end of September, they understandably wanted to relax and get settled in their new place. So Anna spent both Thanksgiving and Christmas in Rathdrum with Bruce, Mitch, and Beth, and New Years with Bruce in Sandpoint.

Another road trip! Bruce and Anna went for a fun, relaxing, and snowy getaway to Joseph, Oregon, where Bruce's family is from. They saw the sights around town, and enjoyed the beautiful scenery from the comfort of the B&B and the car!

Bought a house! After getting beat out by other offers for three or four houses in a ridiculously hot market (think 12-offer bidding wars on a house after it's been up for sale for two days), Bruce and Anna had pretty much given up on buying a house in 2021. That is, until Bruce's real estate agent called and said that the winning offer had fallen through on their favorite house, and Bruce's offer was next in line. Needless to say, they jumped on it! This was also the day after Anna's car had completely broken down to the point of being totaled while on her way to see Bruce, so it was quite the rollercoaster of a day! Luckily Anna got a new car with her Dad's help the following weekend, so that and the prospect of a new house far outshined any bad for the next few weeks!

First night in the new house! After Bruce had a frustrating day of driving all over Spokane to get checks written and papers signed, he and Anna were both rewarded by spending the evening and night in their own new house! Bruce even brought his laptop and a box or two of belongings, and Anna brought a box of books and small decor items to make it homey. The pride, excitement, and joy they felt in having a house of their own was too overwhelming to just stay away!