How We Met
TELL US HOW YOU MET: Greg and I met at an intellectual property (“IP”) law firm in Arizona—we were co-workers! Greg liked me from the very beginning. He was always making excuses to come and visit my office and help me in any way he could. So many colleagues of ours thought Greg was into me, but I denied it for so long! We were good friends at work, and I was worried about making things “weird” if we didn’t work out. However, I couldn’t deny it any longer and realized I liked him so much! I couldn’t pass updating him. Finally, I put my “friend” barriers down and let him in! (Best decision I ever made!)We “secretly” dated for about a year before we let anyone at work know! It was hard keeping it a secret, but kind of fun too! We were this team and force at work! It was great! I loved dating and working together…those years were some of the best of my life! It was amazing to just go to work and be able to see the person you love most there. Greg and I have since left the law firm and we now work at different places. That time we worked together is so sweet to think back on! We have many wonderful, funny, and fond memories! I love how we met. Also, this is crazy, but from the very first time we met at the law firm, there was an instant spark and connection between us. I knew within three seconds of meeting him that Greg and I were super compatible. I just knew it. I felt it. And I remember after we first met, I watched him walk away and thought to myself, “Woah…what is happening? What is this? This is crazy. I just felt this crazy connection to this guy I don’t even really know him!”It was a wild feeling.(And I thought he was super cute!)
Side story: It was destiny for us to both work at the same law firm. Greg is from Long Island, New York and when he was in college he thought of a business idea that was very similar to the social networking service “NextDoor.” In 2012, he tweeted about “NextDoor” and how he had the same idea. Flash forward to 2016, Greg moved to Arizona he was looking for a job and was interested in IP work, he applies to a law firm, gets the job, and realizes the sole partner of the law firm was a man who was also a founding member of NextDoor!This same man who was the sole partner of our law firm and founding member of NextDoor, also went to my law school and came to speak to one of my IP classes while in law school. After law school, I only applied to one job and that was at the law firm and I got it! Funny how the partner in the law firm kind of brought us together! We are very thankful to him!
(Above is a picture of Greg and me at the firm during one of our work holiday parties!)
How They Asked
WHEN GREG ASKED:
Friday, February 12, 2021- Telluride, Colorado
HOW GREG ASKED:
In January 2021, Greg and I discussed getting away for a weekend. Work was really starting to pile up and we thought it would be nice to getaway. Greg proposed the idea of planning a little vacation over President’s Day weekend in February. Greg suggested we take off the Friday before the long weekend and I thought it was a genius idea. So we took that Friday before President’s Day weekend off and turned what is a normally 3-day President’s Day Weekend into a 4-day President’s Day Weekend! (Weeeeee!) Sounded awesome to me! (And looking back–highly recommended!) Greg and I love Telluride, Colorado and since it is pretty close to Arizona, that’s the place we decided to go! I thought it was going to be a snowy little getaway 4-day vacation. Little did I know…
Thursday, February 11, 2021: On Thursday, February 11th, Greg and I left Scottsdale, Arizona to travel to Telluride, Colorado for the first leg of the trip. We decided we would leave after work and drive through the night. Greg is an angel man and did all the driving for the whole trip! Including this first half of the trip driving through the night. We stopped for the night in Gallup, New Mexico. We had two beds–one for Willow and one for us! And of course Willow girl picked to sleep with us in our bed. She can’t bear to be away from her “hoomans” even if they are just a few feet away. We got in at about 1:00 am and quickly got ready for bed and fell right to sleep! We knew we had an early morning the next day!d.
Friday, February 12, 2021: On Friday, February 12th, Greg and I got up early from Gallup, New Mexico, packed our belongings in the car, and started our trek to Telluride, Colorado. We had about a four-hour car ride for this second leg of the trip. As we drove closer and closer to Telluride, the climate started to change until we were pretty much driving in what felt like a blizzard! The roads were completely white–covered in snow and snowing outside. It was wild driving through something like that. Greg is such a good driver though so Willow and I felt safe! Before we knew it, we got to Telluride! Greg was super gung-ho on getting a haircut as soon as we got to Telluride. A little different, but nothing too out of the norm for him! (He loves haircuts! 😂) So before we got to our hotel we stopped in town for Greg to get a haircut. Willow and I waited in the car and I called my Momma. Greg truly was getting a haircut but it actually was all part of his master plan! He needed to call the surprise Telluride engagement photographer (Lizzie Tilles–she’s amazing!) and coordinate with her where to meet and to let her know we made it!)
Finally, after about an hour, Greg came back to the car and we had a short drive to our hotel! Greg told me we were going ice skating and it was absolutely freezing outside, so I decided to bundle up–beanie, snow suspenders, big wooly turtlenecks, sweatshirt from middle school, and my Momma’s big parka!) My ultimate goal was to be warm…so my outfit wasn’t that cute! I was ready like 30 minutes before Greg…which never happens by the way. I’m usually hours (yes, hours!!) behind him! So this was a rarity. I laid on the bed and finished waiting for Greg to get ready. It was in the bathroom for forever. (More on that later.)Eventually, Greg was ready and we made it out of our hotel room! Our hotel had a ride service, so we had it drop us off at the gondolas. (Telluride transportation is really awesome! Their form of transportation is gondolas! It’s pretty cool! You take the gondolas all over Telluride! It really is convenient and super unique. Especially to someone coming from Arizona! (aka ME!))
After we got off the gondolas we started the trek to the “ice skating rink”–which was all just a farce made up by Greg! But I didn’t know that at the time. So we’re off and we’re trekking through snow, and its cold, and Greg turns to me and asks if I can breathe! I look at him concerned…can’t breathe?! We are in higher elevation, that’s what we chalk it up to and continue our trekking journey.
Eventually, we make it to Mountain Village and we stop. Greg says, “let’s take some pictures here.” There is a woman sitting on the bench and Greg asks her to take our picture. She snaps a few photos. After the lady on the bench takes our photos, we thank her and continue on our way. In the distance there is a playground.
And Willow loves going down slides at the playground, so we start making our way towards that playground. In my mind I am thinking Greg is going to want Willow to go down the slides, so I pull out my phone to start recording, so I can capture Willow sliding down the slide. My back is turned to Greg and I hear him behind me say… “Chelsea…”. Iturn around and there he is…starting to kneel on the ground….
OH MY GOSH –my brain doesn’t know how to function. AND I SOMEHOW MANAGED TO CAPTURE PART GREG’S PROPOSAL ON FILM!!!!
I was filming Willow but as soon as I turned around, my camera was still rolling and captured Greg too! Amazing! I didn’t even mean to! When Greg proposed I was completely caught off guard, my brain is in a tizzy, and I somehow manage to turn it off. Darn! BUT I DID CATCH THE BEGINNING! (Side story: Greg has the whole thing! Well he has our voices recorded. He started a recording on his phone before we go in the gondolas so he could capture the whole thing!)
I still can’t believe I caught it on film…. WILD! SO HAPPY! Greg proposed and it was a dream come true for me. Happiest girl in the world. Floating in the clouds.
I also made a blog post about the proposal that you can read here:http://chels.com/chelsea-and-greg-engaged/
