Annie, a newspaper reporter from Washington state, was living in a 600-square-foot apartment in downtown Orlando. Jeff, a computer hardware engineer from Central Florida, was 20 miles away in suburban Lake Mary. They were both single, in their 30s and a little nervous they'd never find the right companion.

Their paths never would have crossed if not for a wonderful modern invention: the dating app. Annie was wooed by Jeff's profile, where he shared photos from his Mount Rainier hiking trip and noted his concerns about climate change. Jeff liked Annie's travel photos and was eager to meet a fellow runner. One night in early January 2020, they both swiped right.

They met in person for the first time on Jan. 11 at Hourglass Brewing in Orlando, a loud, busy bar where they had to yell across the table to each other. They chatted about Jeff's recent trip to the Pacific Northwest, his homebrewing operation, and Annie's reporting exploits.

After a handful more dates, Jeff decided to accompany Annie to Tampa, where she and a few friends were running the Gasparilla Half Marathon. That was the first time Jeff met any of Annie's friends and they were impressed with her smart, kind, new beau.

A month later, they ran their first race together in Winter Park. Annie beat Jeff to the finish line by three minutes, the last time she ever finished ahead of Jeff in a timed race. They did not know it also would be their last outing for a very long time.

Most of us probably remember where we were when we found out the world was shutting down. Annie was finishing a story at the University of Central Florida when she received a news alert saying Orange County was implementing a stay-at-home order.

She immediately thought of Jeff, who she had been dating a couple of months. They weren't official, but they clearly had a connection. Things were going well. Jeff assured her that because they were "a couple" (wait, what?) they could social distance together and the authorities would not hunt them down.

After spending most of the next 6 months in Jeff's new apartment (he had, incidentally, moved to downtown Orlando a few weeks after meeting Annie), Jeff decided he was ready to buy a house. After falling in love with the second place they saw, a grey-blue bungalow built in 1925, their dreams were crushed when they learned the sellers had accepted an offer from someone else later that day. They kept looking, but none of the open houses they attended gave them the same "we're home!" feeling as the place on Portland Avenue. But then, a stroke of luck: Their dream home was back on the market! Jeff swooped in and made an offer that evening, and they now call the cute and quirky Colonialtown North neighborhood home.

The pandemic was an extraordinarily difficult time for a lot of people. Annie and Jeff were very grateful they, their family and friends mostly stayed healthy. They also felt lucky to have a comfortable home. And in spring of 2021, Annie finally was able to introduce Jeff to her family. Seattle was the first place they traveled by plane together. After visiting Annie's hometown, they ventured to Chicago, Spain, Washington, D.C., and Italy. They love sharing adventures and despite both preferring the window seat, are quite compatible travelers. Both know how to pack light and are diligent students of Rick Steves (if you know, you know). Closer to home, they've visited the Dali Museum and beach in St. Petersburg; cheered for the Gators in Gainesville; and attended Broadway shows in Orlando and Tampa.

They've made new friends, too. Two months after moving in together, Jeff and Annie adopted their first dog, a yappy black-and-white terrier mix named Jack. A year and a half later, they added their second dog, a sweet blonde terrier mix named Cooper.

One Friday evening last March, Annie came home after having dinner with her friend Rene Stutzman, who has graciously agreed to officiate the wedding. Annie was parking her bike in the garage when she realized Jeff was waiting for her on the back patio, which was lit by dozens of tea candles. Jeff dropped to one knee and asked her to marry him. She said "yes" without hesitation and the rest will one day be history.

A&J