The Story…

“at first Todd wasn’t certain about this lady that sure seemed to eat a lot of cereal...”

“…She describes a moment watching Todd’s taillights trail into the distance where she felt a longing that foreshadowed what was to come.”

T & A

—

Once upon a time… Two strangers, on parallel—but not previously intersecting—paths, collided in a snowy Canadian village. They were invited on the same trip and situated in rooms across a condo from each other. At first, Todd wasn’t certain about this lady that sure seemed to eat a lot of cereal but he was intrigued by her tenacity, work ethic and… legs. They both loved being outside in the snow and after a wild night celebrating a successful trip (not like that) the stage was being set for what was ahead…

When the trip wrapped up, their travels were taking them in a similar direction, so they decided to caravan down the road together and had their first date: lunch in a little roadside town, Wallace, ID. Later, Todd would come to discover this was a big deal, as Amie does not typically stop for longer than five minutes on a road trip. She must have been interested…

Later that evening, as the sun dipped down, they stopped on the side of the highway to say their goodbyes, where Todd went east and Amie went south. She describes watching Todd’s taillights trail into the distance, where she felt a longing that foreshadowed what was to come.

A second date occurred in Salt Lake City a couple of months later, when Todd took Amie and some friends out to a bar she later described as a test. This was not the case; it turns out this is the type of establishment Todd considers fun. The bond grew stronger, but their paths still diverged as the winter season called them in different directions.

As winter turned to spring, a desert migration called, and plans were made to warm up (and nurse some MCL strains sustained by both parties) from the long winter together in Zion and Bryce Canyon. A mutual love of adventure and the outdoors was tightening the bond, and when the trip ended, they discussed… can someone living in California and someone living in Utah date? They weren’t sure, but another beginning was established when they decided it was worth a shot.

The relationship was exciting and moving forward, but over time, the distance became a barrier, so in a non-traditional twist, they decided to live in both places.

When the day finally* arrived to make it seriously forever, Todd was nervous, so he decided it was best to have his wingdog Bill with him. He planned a trip out to one of his favorite overlooks and used an evening dog walk as the guise. With a small bottle of champagne and a Polaroid camera tucked into his puffy (she’s for sure going to know, right?), they ventured out to the edge—literally and metaphorically. Amie was surprised and accepted with glee. With some tears and champagne, the train was set in motion for this stage.

*“Finally” refers to a lengthy courtship — Amie was quite patient in this regard.