Two nerds had a chance encounter, and spent the next two years circling the globe to be together.
STORY
How did you first meet?
A conference room with the scent of moist Jimmy Johns wafting through the air - Shelby and Chris had a chance meeting. Only Chris was smart enough to notice that they were actually meeting.
While that was THE first meeting, there were a few missed opportunities:
- When Shelby and Chris lived in Las Vegas, their homes were 15 minutes apart
- Shelby studied Entertainment Engineering at UNLV and occasionally visited FTSI, where Chris worked
- Both worked on Pandora: The World of Avatar
- When they finally connected on Facebook, they had 36 friends in common
This is actually Shelby and Chris' first photo together, many years before the first meeting:
2018 Thea Awards
Now, with a strong geographical hurdle (Chris in Long Beach, CA and Shelby in Orlando, FL), Chris started to lay the groundwork.
Wait, with that distance — how did it all come together?
Chris made the first move, and thank goodness — Shelby is clueless!
From Shelby's POV:
INT. OFFICE — DAY
SHELBY balances her phone between her shoulder and ear, standing over the copier, on the phone with BRITAINNE.
BRITAINNE
“Dani just asked me if you are single”
SHELBY
“Oh yeah? What did you say?”
BRITAINNE
“Single, but not very emotionally available and swamped at work.”
SHELBY
“Attagirl.”
———
A few days later, Chris texted and was tragically left on read.
———
INT. RESTURANT AT SIGGAPH - DAY
Later, Dani prepared a pitch (embellished slightly for comedic effect)
DANI
“Well, he is tall!”
(Shelby inside voice: BORING. If tall is the first thing you think.)
(Reader's note: Chris is tall)
DANI
“He is also...so nice. He is just the kindest person I know”
(Shelby inside voice: Tall and nice...yikes.)
(Reader's note: Chris is the sort of saccharine sweet and kind that warrants superlatives.)
DANI
“He is the kind of guy who will book a flight for any adventure, an obscure theater or festival, he will go”
(Shelby inside voice: Now that's....that's interesting.)
———
INT. ASHLEY'S HOUSE - NIGHT
SHELBY sitting on ASHLEY's couch. ASHLEY is SHELBY'S font of wisdom in most things.
SHELBY
“Hey, have you heard of this guy Chris?”
ASHLEY
“Chris, yeah. I don't know him well, but he threw a mustache themed party and invited me, despite just meeting me. He is super nice and always goes out of his way to connect with our mutual friends abroad. Oh, he is also really tall”
SHELBY
“Tall and nice.”
———
Shelby, having only seen one picture of Chris with a fake mustache, texts back.
SHELBY (TEXT to CHRIS)
“sorry just now seeing this”
What was your most memorable date?
Long distance meant our dates were often full-blown adventures:
-
1st date - Orlando. SAK Improv Club (Home of Wayne Brady)
- 3rd date — Orlando. Chris pointing out his name in the Eras Tour credits
- 4th date — LA. Chris getting a glimpse of just how deeply Shelby shows up for her friends
- 5th date — Japan. Overlapping Trips to see the fall colors
- We lost count by this point - Club 33 dinner for Shelby’s 33rd
The most spontaneous thing we’ve done
Chris proposed — before we lived in the same state — in a haunted house, followed by a surprise party with friends and family from around the world.
You live in the same state now... right?
We do! Chris has relocated to Orlando, Florida and we are settling into our new home together.
Registry
Thank you for considering our registry! We have recently moved into our dream home in Orlando, FL, and are enjoying the process of making it truly ours while building our life together.
With that in mind, your presence is the greatest gift. But if you'd like to help us with S.S. Washington (the nickname for our house), we would be incredibly grateful.
Our registry is inspired by the vision for S.S. Washington.
- Located in Orlando, Florida, we hope it will be a place frequented by friends and family.
- As a true Craftsman-style treasure, some of our wish list items are a little delightfully specific.
Here are some staged listing photos from S.S. Washington. Help us make it our own!
We have two registries. One is dedicated to the art of gathering around a table, while the other covers everything else needed to help S.S. Washington become our home.
If you're more excited by the thrill of the hunt, we would also be grateful for anything inspired by the Arts & Crafts movement, woodworking, or vintage Florida.
