This is a novel. Don't try to read it out loud to someone, they'll get annoyed with you.

It was December 29, 2019. Jen landed in San Diego dressed in a Houndstooth sweater and tall boots as she had just flown from Baltimore, the worlds best city, where the first snow flurries were touching down.

The pilot came on and in a muffled voice said "welcome to San Diegoooo! Temperatures are 75 and sunny."

She was profusely sweating.

She gracefully pulled her houndstooth suitcase down from the overhead bin. That’s right. A houndstooth sweater and a houndstooth suitcase.

As she walked through the airport, a group of older women stop and ask if she bought her outfit in SkyMall magazine. They thought she was a fashion icon. She replied, “no,” and proceeded to sweat even more realizing how dumb she must have looked (or maybe it was timeless?). This was not the time to be dressed like a grandmother. After all, she was in San Diego to meet someone by the name of ‘Chase Crane’.

She didn’t know much about Chase aside from a few judgements she had made from photos she had seen of him. He was incredibly good looking and had impeccable style. The type who would never want to be seen with a woman dressed in what looks like a SkyMall Houndstooth 2-for-1 special outfit.

Chase had arrived in San Diego a few days prior, and knew very little about Jen aside from what he was told.

Mutual friends decided to set them up, but would it work? Getting two strangers together on New Years? Could the Utah boy from the mountains actually fall in love with a sweaty east coast city rat? With little to no expectations, they went into the weekend open minded, expecting nothing and (spoiler) gaining everything.

As Jen exits the airport she receives a call from their mutual friends asking where she was. “I’m standing at the Q Zone” she said as she continued to nervously sweat.

“There’s no way that they would bring Chase in the car to pick me up. I smell. I’m sweating. I need to freshen up,” she thought.

Her friends car whips up to the curb. He’s in the driver seat and sure enough there is a man, a very attractive man, sitting in the passenger seat.

The herringbone sweater was sagging at this point due to the volume of anxiety fueled sweat dripping down her back.

Chase gets out. Jen declares she’s a hugger which prior to this moment she doesn’t recall ever making that declaration. They proceed to have one of those awkward one-arm-don’t-let-the-front-of-your-bodies-touch kinda hugs.

Chase steps back.

He was freshly showered, well groomed if you will. He was not wearing anything herringbone. His jawline could cut a diamond and his smile felt famous. Jen’s cheeks blushed, as she tucked her greasy airplane hair behind her ear.

Chase's first impression was that Jen was some prissy east coast girl that looked like I was from Nantucket and the probability of her being a brat was high.

Jen's first impression was that guys that look like Chase are usually the opposite of a gentlemen. A walking red flag.

Seconds later, impressions changed.

Chase, a gentlemen, offered shotgun to Jen. As they rode, he sat sandwiched in between two kids car seats, his shoulders caved in forcing him to lean forward into the middle console, looking like a puppy. His proximity to Jen's armpit made her sweat even more.

They ride in what felt like the longest car ride ever to the grocery store to pick up a few items for dinner before heading to their friends house in La Jolla.

While in the grocery store, Chase grabs a 6-pack (or 2) of beer. Jen, attempting to flirt, says, “You ready to share those with me?”

He responds, “No way. Get your own.”

The sweating continues for at the time she didn’t realize Chase was capable of dishing and receiving sarcasm.

They get to their friends house and get settled in, eyeing each other and trying to understand who the other person was.

After 1 day, the awkwardness dissipated and the houndstooth sweater was folded and put away. It was an instant connection. They stayed up late, sharing details about each other, getting to know each other and without realizing it, falling in love. She couldn’t believe someone like Chase existed: an actual gentlemen? With a sendse of humor? AND looks that could put him on the cover of GQ? There had to be a catch.

A few days later, New Year’s Eve rolls around. They go to dinner and laugh over champagne. As 2019 was coming to a close, they left the restaurant and get in the car for the drive back home. It was 11:51pm. The house was about 25 minutes away. Chase suggests we go to a bar. So we stop at the closest bar we can find to discover it was a gay bar decorated in everything you can imagine. We were welcomed in before the clock struck midnight. The countdown begins.

Ten, nine, eight…

Chase and Jen feel their friends smiling, staring at them.

Four, three, two…

Jen starts sweating again, sans herringbone attire.

Chase leans in for the kiss as Jen turns her head towards him, but probably a little to far. The target was off. It was a drive by. A hit and run. The most awkward sloppiest kiss (truly a peck) of their lives. But it was the start of them.

After the kissing accident, Jen was supposed to fly home but the two lovebirds decided to extend their trips.

Afterall, a few days later Jen would be celebrating her 30th birthday.

On her last day of 29, they watched the sun set, moon rise and were greeted by the sun again on the morning of her 30th birthday. The conversation never turned dry and if it did there was comfort in their silence. Chase had the natural ability to bring out the goofy, giggly, serious and aspirational side of her.

They were hooked on each other. An unexpected trip turned into the most important one.

It was then time to go their separate ways. Jen cried, like she always does, as they said goodbye at the airport gates. She quite literally watched Chase’s plane take off, realizing how she felt. There goes the guy. The guy that she was going to marry.

While Chase lived in Utah, Jen was living in Baltimore. But they wouldn’t let a little distance get in the way. Over the next month or two they would fly to meet each other all over the country.

In Chicago, Chase told Jen he was falling in love and saw her as his future wife. A few weeks later, under a sea of stars in brisk Montana air, they told each other they loved each other. They were living on a high.

Then the world shut down.

So, Jen did what felt like one of the scariest decisions at the time. She bought a one way plane ticket and boarded a plane to Utah.

What was supposed to be 2 weeks turned into 6 months of living in a house with Chase…and 2 grown ass men (she’s planning to write a book on this experience called “3 Boys and Me”).

In a way, it turned out to be the best thing that could happen to them. The amount of time spent together accelerated their relationship faster than it would have organically with being long distance.

After 6 months, it was decided Jen would formally move in - as if she wasn’t already living there.

So she finally bought her return ticket home. Packed up her belongings, crammed everything she owned into her shitty little Prius, and drove out to what would be home.

It’s cliche but the rest is history. And if you made it this far. Congratulations. We’re excited to tie the knot and celebrate our story of finding unexpected, true love. Shout out to our matchmakers.

Registry