It started in January 2020; Emily and I matched on Hinge (and Bumble). I was over the dating scene and spending forever just chatting on dating apps, so I gave Emily my number and said, “Make it happen.” Later that week we were on our first date. We started at Park Burger in RiNo and immediately hit it off. We never wanted the night to end, so we continued the date at First Friday (iykyk), and I knew I had found the best dancing partner a gal could ask for.

Over the next few months, life and a pandemic got in the way of our relationship, so we didn’t talk for a while. In July 2020, I couldn’t stop thinking about the hottie from January and I decided to slide into her DMs (literally). Luckily, Emily couldn’t stop thinking about me either, and even though she was living in Dallas, she booked a flight for us to have a second first date in Denver. That was when I introduced Emily to hummus and the world has never been the same!

The next few months consisted of a lot of back-and-forth. Emily went on a big road trip through the national parks and stopped in Denver every chance she could get. I met her in Crested Butte and flew to Dallas ALL THE TIME - we really racked up those Frontier miles! November 2020, I was there for what was supposed to only be a week but ended up staying for over a month (thanks, COVID). We grew our family and adopted both Noah (aka Mr. Kitty) and Willow! In February of 2021, I was back in Dallas and got stuck again, thanks to the great Texas freeze. By the time summer of 2021 was rolling around, I wasn’t sure what was really keeping me in Denver (besides my amazing friends). I knew I was ready for a new chapter in my life, and so I decided to finally give nursing school the shot it deserved. This included moving in with Emily in Dallas.

I loved our Texas life. Bike rides, kombucha, game nights, family hangs, dog parks, and the farmers market will always be my memories of Texas. However, Emily was applying to Firefighter positions across the country, and when we saw that Rogers, AR was hiring, I just knew she had to apply. I brought her to Fayetteville to show her just how cool it was (shoutout to Cambre, Katie and Noah for showing me). She fell in love and crushed the interview. We moved to Arkansas in January 2022 to start our new life here!

Our Arkansas Era has brought us amazing friends, great careers, our home, and our favorite brands Fayettechill and Onyx. I proposed in September 2022, and we eloped within a month. I always knew I wanted a chance to celebrate our love with all our friends and family, and we look forward to celebrating our life and love with all of you <3