After countless weeks of lonely doom scrolling on dating websites, Nick and Katy finally met for their inaugural date at Lagunitas Brewery in Petaluma, California. Given that Lagunitas is canine-friendly, Katy invited Gary as a secondary evaluator of character. Employing bribery tactics, Nick offered Gary a hotdog, prompting Gary to inform Katy that this new human was deserving of a second date. Thanks Gary, good boy!

Testing the mettle of this new potential partner, Katy invited Nick to a weekend at a horse show in Rancho Murieta, California. Nick met Amoret for the first time, and they instantly connected over their shared love for carrots. Unbeknownst to Nick at the time, he successfully passed the “horseshow test” by demonstrating his ability to handle the situation with ease, taking videos, and not asking intrusive questions about the stressful and time-consuming nature of the event.

During 2020 Nick and Katy seized the opportunity to social distance in nature with day trips to Lake Tahoe and the Giant Redwoods along the Mendocino Coast.

As 2023 came to a close, Nick lured Katy to the sand dunes of Glamis, California to ring in the New Year with his family. Three days of desert van camping and one broken Can-Am axle later, the banner moment of the weekend was upon us on Sunset Hill. As the couple posed for a photo, Nick descended to a single knee and pulled an unassuming box from his pocket. In a romantic tale for the ages, he managed to utter the words “will ya?” Once Katy came to the realization that he was not asking for help up after tripping in deep sand, the deal was sealed with a kiss. Champagne was popped, and the couple celebrated the end of the year and beginning of their next chapter in the best way - covered in sand and surrounded by love.