Chris and Mackenzie met in early spring of 2020 right before the world shut down with COVID restrictions. While COVID made it challenging to start a new relationship, they bonded through their shared love of hiking and camping. They spent as much time as possible traversing though the wilderness and driving around Ohio to take in the sights. Chris was always eager to find (or create) new hiking trails for them to backpack much to Mackenzie's chagrin.

Their love of exploration wasn't limited to just the woods. As Mackenzie was wrapping up her final year of college Chris was a frequent visitor and they explored the nearby downtown area.

Upon her graduation their love for travel and each other grew as they explored the United States and even ventured outside of the country on several occasions.

While all of the areas that they visited will always remain an integral part of their story there one location that they both fell in love with during their travels: Zion National Park. Following their initial impromptu visit in 2022 Chris knew that this would be the location in which he would one day propose to Mackenzie. Nearly one year later Chris surprised her with a trip to Zion and proposed on the Angel's Landing trail.