Our Story

We met because of the internet. Much like the internet, this was unexpected.

(Bystanders sometimes get a wondering look in their eye when we explain this particular element of our first meeting. We totally understand that. In fact, it's probably the same sort of wondering look that was visited upon previous generations who met through letters, communicated across many miles, or who were only able to correspond by candlelight, pony express, and a great deal of steadfast romantic dreaming. Lucky for us, the world is no longer so vast, ill-lit, or slow-footed. Instead, our courtship had, and still has, all the speed of the "modern age" to support it, including the ability to communicate on a daily and relatively immediate basis. Thanks, communication progress!)

We didn't meet on a dating site or anything like that. It was 2005, and both of us were in college and involved in hobbyist web design at the time. We happened to stumble upon each other via a forum that centered around Homestar Runner, the old flash cartoon site. (Remember Homestar Runner? You do? How mid-2000s of you!) We instant messaged each other occasionally. (Remember instant messages? You do? How late-1990s of you!) We called each other once and awhile. We kept things silly, introspective, and safe. (An important feature of all internet-spun tales.) We were pretty funny, and we seemed to be on the same page. Often. Very often. Surprisingly often.

We began to write letters, observances, dreams, and even poems. (Remember letters and poems? How pre-Industrial Revolution of you!) Eventually it was as though, even after growing up over two thousand miles apart, we finally found each other — two lucky stars out of the many millions, shining through a series of crazy, madcap tubes — and when we met, it seemed like we were finally coming home. Not everything about us was modern, you see: all coding, computers, and phones

After being "modern pen-pal" friends for several years, we finally found ourselves in the same room in May 2008 when Christa was able to join Dan's traveling university-group on a summer trip to Europe. We discovered that we were kind of awesome at traveling together. We also discovered that we were best friends, and we decided that, together, we were worth every mile between us. We changed our relationship statuses (how post-Facebook era of us) and decided to give this whole long-distance thing a go. We traveled back and forth on a regular basis. We continued to keep in touch daily. Whenever we were together in the same room, we still felt like we were home. In short, we found ourselves in love — and what a wonderful, whimsical, crazy-comforting thing, to love and be loved, so simply, so comfortably, as regular as air. (Who knew oxygen could be so lovely?)

In July 2011, on Christa's birthday, Daniel proposed at Charlie Gitto's restaurant in St. Louis, right after a mutually-enormous dinner. He told Christa that while he had gotten her a birthday gift, it had been delayed in shipping, so she'd have to wait a little longer to receive it. Dan was, however, carrying a little giftbag — upon Christa's inquiry, Dan claimed this bag contained a "placeholder gift." (Yes, Christa is occasionally gullible, and Dan is occasionally wily. Christa also believed that the awesome dinner was her present, so she had no other thoughts about the prezzie situation.)

After dessert, Dan said that he had to "do something first" before he could give Christa his "placeholder gift." He then got down on one knee, produced the best-engagement-ring-ever-made from the giftbag, and asked Christa to marry him. Although we had discussed the delightful possibility of marriage before, and even though we both knew we were meant to walk this particular path, Christa was still surprised. She was, therefore, rendered momentarily incapable of anything but

After eight years of friendship and five years of romantic togetherness, Dan was able to transfer out to California in April 2013, which finally found our heroes living in the same state at the same time.

All wedding-plans and moving-plans aside, we know one thing for sure: best friends, homey oxygen, and oldskool romance don't come along every day, every mile, or every lifetime. We're so looking forward to celebrating the next stage in our lives with our nearest and dearest. Please stand by as we get this marvelous "life ball" rolling!