How did your love story begin?

We both arrived carrying the work of coming back to ourselves. I messaged him for a walk, showed up in my messy gardening clothes. He showed up head to toe in denim. Both of us, just as we are. We talked for hours, unwilling to let it end. That same day, I told friends floating on a lake, “I’m going to know this man a long time.” Two dates in, I told my parents I’d marry him. Two years later, we’re still becoming. Honest and communicative, we’re building something real.

What is your favorite memory you've shared as a couple?

We wandered on many walks at the beginning. He remembers me excitedly sharing the letters my great grandmother received from my great grandfather - a time capsule of a lifetime love. On that same walk, I remember the way that my hand felt in his. I pictured us older and with more wrinkles, writing our own love story for others to remember. Just two old farts riding bikes.

What would you do with $20,000?

We’d pour it straight into our mountaintop home. Zach wants a shop for his fine carpentry, and I want a studio where flowers and clay share a roof. We’re building a place where people can wander up, and take a piece of our home home with them. This prize wouldn’t just fund tools and tile, it will help us create a little slice of heaven on earth to share with his/our daughter (if she wants it).