THE FIRST DAY...

Once upon a time, on a bright chilly morning, Rico and Tracey met in one of the most romantic places of all. You know it... work. Rico would make any attempt he could to talk to Tracey, but she didn't mind him any attention. She thought he was into himself always wearing tight shirts to show off all his big muscles. Little by little, after many conversations, they started getting to know each other better. They began to learn more about each other and Tracey discovered his sweet, caring and sensitive side so she was more open to him. Shortly after that, Rico asked to make plans with Tracey after work. She agreed. It didn't take long for them to become inseparable. It was the beginning of the Covid pandemic, with not much to do or places to go, so they spent a lot of 1-on-1 time together. Sparks flew, and their bond grew stronger and stronger with every passing minute. They tried to fight their feelings, not sure if they were ready for a new relationship. On Cinco de Mayo, Rico and Tracey were having a great time dancing and singing to some of his favorite reggaetón songs at the time, and making homemade tacos. This marked a significant day because they realized on that day that they were each very special to each other no matter how much they tried to push their feelings aside. Every month to follow, Rico wrote Tracey a love note and gave it to her on the 5th day of every month.

THE YES DAY...

Fast forward to July 11, 2020, Rico planned a date for the two of them on the MS Dixie Dinner Cruise and so they went on a weekend getaway to Lake Tahoe. It was after dinner, on the top of the ship, cruising the beautiful lake, that Rico sat Tracey down while enjoying the beautiful scenery. He took a keychain out of his pocket. The key chain was a puzzle piece with a picture of an otter that said "my significant otter". He hands it to her and proceeds to tell Tracey how important she is to him and all that other lovey dovey stuff. Then he asks her if she will officially be his girlfriend. She says yes with so much excitement. Rico also kept the other otter keychain which connects to hers because they fit perfectly together like puzzle pieces. They continued on for the next year meeting family, traveling, trying new food, celebrating birthdays, holidays, and creating countless memories together.

THE BEST DAY...

July 11, 2021 - Exactly one year to the day, they decided to go back to Lake Tahoe and recreate the amazing day they had the year prior to celebrate their anniversary. They had agreed on no gifts, but of course Rico got a gift for Tracey. He did not allow her to open it right away. After finishing up with dinner they headed upstairs to enjoy the sights. Eventually, Rico lead the way to the front of the boat. Finally, Rico asks Tracey if she would like her gift now. Eagerly, she says "of course!" He continues by placing his hand in the gift bag and takes out a binder. He hands her the binder, she opens it and they begin going through it together. The binder is filled with all of the laminated love notes Rico has written Tracey since their special 05/05/20 date. As they go through them, they get to the end where there is a NEW note. This note states to look at the FIRST letter of every love note in the binder because they are in bold and bigger text than the rest of the words. Then it says to put all the letters together and fill in the little game of hangman that was on the new note. Rico hands Tracey a pen and tells her to fill it out. She starts going through the notes and filling in each letter until she gets to "W I L L Y O U M A R _ _ _ _? Tracey puts the pen down thinking "noo waayy" and frantically flips through the rest of the notes to see the remaining letters. She gets to the end with tears streaming down her face, and turns around to see Rico on one knee. She felt an immense amount of joy and emotion in that moment. She stood up and he asks for her hand in marriage. Beaming she nods her head and says, "YES!" The boat honks its horn (like in the movies) with the crowd is clapping and congratulating them in the back. It was the most magical and unforgettable moment for them.

- Where does the couple's love for Otters come from? -

Early in their relationship, Rico sent Tracey and article on Sea Otters that explained why they hold hands - to prevent themselves from floating away or drifting apart while they sleep. It hit home because they always go to sleep holding hands. They compared themselves to Otters and it just stuck ever since. Their love for otters has grown and they even call themselves "The Otter Family." 💗🦦