Nik and I met on Hinge and had our first date on September 14th, 2022. He suggested Copperhead Club, a place I’d never been, but it turned out to be 3 mins from my apartment (points for convenience).

I walked in, unable to find Nik. Then, there he was. Smiling and waving at me...with a mullet. I didn't recognize him. Was I being catfished? When I asked how recent it was, he said, “February.” It was September. I wasn’t sure whether to laugh or leave… so naturally, I laughed.

Somewhere between laughing and trading stories about our upcoming solo trips to Europe, Nik asked me out on a second date. While we were still on our first! A bold move, and one that impressed me.

They say when you know, you know, and I did. Nik had this rare blend of humor, sincerity, and calm that instantly grounded me. He was thoughtful without trying too hard, playful but deeply genuine, and I didn't want our dates to end.

I left for Paris a few months later, and we made it work. He came to visit me there, and I got to show off my (limited) French. From moving in together to seeing the world (even if he somehow attracts every possible flight delay), it’s been the best kind of adventure.

Fast forward to March 14th, 2025. Nik took me to Mammoth Lakes, a place close to his heart where he grew up exploring Convict Lake. On our second date, he’d shown me a photo of that lake, and I remember thinking, I hope I get to see it one day, with him.

And I did.

In the middle of a full-on blizzard, he asked me a very important question at a very important place. It was freezing, it was beautiful, and it was perfect. Even if my hands were so swollen I could barely get the ring on.

Now here we are, planning our wedding in Lisbon, ready to celebrate with the people we love most, and to keep chasing life’s next adventures together.

I love you, and I like you, Nik. <3

The first time I saw Anyssa’s face was around 10pm during a late summer evening - and she was staring back at me through the other end of a Hinge profile photo. She was wearing translucent sunglasses, a bucket hat, and I distinctly remember noticing how bright her smile was beaming out from underneath the flags at ACL.

I also remember being very impressed because she was the one sliding into my DMs, not the other way around! After I picked my jaw up off the ground, I knew I couldn’t let this chance slip away. If you want to see my “game” at it’s best, look no further than my incredibly witty and effortless reply.

The electricity that shot through my body after seeing that reply notification pop up was like nothing I had felt before. After chatting back and forth for a few days, we decided on a time and place for a date. It was the Copperhead Club on East Riverside Drive in Austin, TX - a place neither of us had been to yet. Selfishly, it was close to my house at the time - and unknown to me at the time, even closer to Anyssa’s apartment. The moment she walked in through the door, I knew I was in serious trouble. I could tell by Anyssa’s face she felt similarly, but it may have been because I was sporting a mullet at the time - which was absent from my Hinge profile.

Either way, after we started talking and getting to know each other - I knew this date was different. We sat at that bar for over 4 hours, and I didn’t want the night to end. I asked her out on a second date before we left the bar that night, and I couldn’t tell her this at the time but I have never felt so certain about how right two people were for each other like I did that night.

That first date was the catalyst for countless others - from restaurants around Austin, to walks around Lady Bird Lake, and even to really bad attempts at making homemade pasta (with a wine bottle as a rolling pin). We’ve traveled the country together, from California to New York to Miami - and dozens of places between. We even navigated a cross Atlantic relationship for a while, culminating in an amazing trip through Paris, the French countryside, and up through Belgium. We’ve seen the Czech Republic together, Mexico, San Diego (the Texas version) and even Palmdale.

This is just the beginning of our story together, and I can’t believe how full these chapters already are. I can’t wait to write the rest of this book with you Anyssa.

I love you.