September 2017. San Diego, California.

It all started with a good ole love story, boy meets girl…online of course. Hinge was the dating site of choice, because you know, at the time it was the respectable one. So here they are, those profiles from back in the day, and the answer to one question that changed it all.

On Hinge, you have to make some sort of “connection” before you can begin talking to each other. Krit had “liked” one of Chris’s answers to a prompted question on his profile. Because, obviously, Chris had a great sense of humor and, obviously, Krit found it hilarious.

The question that Chris answered and the answer that Krit liked, that started the conversation:

Their first date was a lovely night at a local brewery, The Draft, followed by an impromptu meet-up with some of Chris's friends in Pacific Beach (PB) at a local comedy club, Reds. The dating continued with great beach trips, some hang outs with friends, a first trip to Joshua Tree, and with Chris helping Krit check off all her bucket list items in San Diego before her move back to New Jersey.

So there it was, Krit was leaving. They met just about a month before she was moving back to the east coast. Don’t worry, she had been honest about this from the start. So, ya know, it was a great time while they were together, and they planned to keep in touch. But from Krit's side, she expected that things would probably just fizzle out once she moved away.

Krit mapped out an epic road trip back to Jersey where she started out on her own, and then planned to meet up with her dad half way through to finish the trip. About four hours into her drive, Chris called. He conveniently had three days off work and wondered if there was a way that he could meet up for some of the trip. Millions of thoughts went through Krit's head. Was she okay with this? They discussed the possible ways that they could make this work, all while she was still driving and getting farther and farther away. They hung up while Chris decided to look at some transportation options and figure out how they could possibly meet.

Staring straight ahead and still driving, Krit was unsure. Was this smart? They still didn’t know each other that well. But, it could be really fun? It was kinda exciting? Okay, possibly she could be okay with this.

Chris called back. He had looked at flights, trains, how he could drive out, but in the end he didn’t think it was going to work. The farther Krit drove to arrive home in time for Thanksgiving, the harder it would be for him to get back in time for his next day at work. Slight disappointment on Krit's end. Although unsure at first, she pretty quickly got on board with this happening and thought it would be a really awesome trip. But, that was that. They said their goodbyes again and Krit's drive continued.

Chris called back. Some last minute calls to his friends and family had convinced him this trip would be like a story right out of a romantic comedy movie, and that he should go. “Chase love!” they said. Not fully planning out all the details, he asked Krit to just pull over and wait, and he started driving.

So that was that, they spent an awesome three days in Utah exploring Zion National Park and Bryce Canyon National Park. Eventually, they got to the point where the further they went, the more impossible it was going to be for Chris to get back to work the next day, they were now almost 10 hours away from San Diego. Once more, they said their goodbyes, but this time with the added confidence that the contact would continue. Chris was going to be home in Florida for Christmas, and Krit would be in New Jersey. Not too far from each other, right?

The plan was to meet up in Florida, because why not rip off the Band-Aid and meet his whole family for the holidays. It was an amazing trip that ended with Chris's dad making it official for them with his post on Facebook stating "Chris and his GF." So, there it was, they were in a relationship.

After the holidays, Chris went back to California and Krit stayed in New Jersey. Two years spent long distance and the time came when Krit decided to move back to California. Another legendary road trip cross country, but this time with Em. Krit finally made it back to the west coast and she and Chris moved in together in Sherman Oaks, CA.

Three years passed in Los Angeles, their time filled with exciting new roommate activities: quarantining in the apartment, meeting new neighbors and making new friends, trying new hobbies like woodworking (which, they soon found out they work better together on separate projects 🙂), visiting San Diego to reminisce on their past times, seeing friends and family, and exploring as much of California as they could. Day trips, camping weekends, and as many adventurous activities as they could fit on their calendar. The love for the outdoors and for camping that they found together was an amazing adventure and an almost routine weekend activity.

So, here we are now, two cats later and an engagement at the top of Glacier Point in Yosemite National Park. A spot Krit had said on a past trip was truly one of the most stunning views she had ever seen. The moment was perfect, ripped pants, wrinkled shirt, dirty nails and all.

Our love story. And one that gets to continue, with all of you, when we get back up to the Yosemite area and do the dang thing. 😀