“Leaping into Forever”

Alex and Charleen found each other in the great State of Alaska. In 2015, our dear friend Quandy invited Alex to Friendmas at Charleen’s in Anchorage. Alex had just moved to Anchorage and he and Quandy worked together at Hard Rock. As Alex walked into Charleen’s apartment speaking with a Bostonian accent, we all knew it was a match meant to be. This Friendsmas was for the books. Alex then found himself invited to Guidos Pizza with the whole crew for the Warped Tour line up announcement. Love was in the air, y’all! Next they went to Harry Potter night at Mad Mrynas to cap off the night. What they didn’t know at this point, was that this was going to be the start of THEIR mf LOVE STORY!!

As everyone knows, Alex and Charleen go on epic adventures all across the country. One of the first adventures Alex took Charleen on was a thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail. Charleen was falling so hard for Alex and this trip really sealed the deal for her. Prior to setting on their journey, Alex and Charleen went to visit Alex’s home state of Massachusetts. Alex showed Charleen where he grew up, introduced her to his friends, and she also met his parents for the first time. The vibe was absolutely right for Charleen and truly, this is when she knew she wanted to spend a lifetime with Alex. The hike was so many wonderful things; it was brutal, rewarding, enlightening, and the best challenge both Alex and Charleen could have faced together. On the second week of the thru-hike, Charleen knew he was absolutely without a doubt, “the one.”

“The moment that I knew Charleen was "The One". What can I say? It has been divided amongst several moments of time. Was it when we were hiking together on the Appalachian Trail? Was it during every time we picked up the pieces and rebuilt an entire life together? Or was it when we set out on the road together as full-time RV'ers, completely into the unknown wirh nothing but each other? Truly, when I started realizing that I was making better decisions due to her influence on my life, that is when I knew. Everywhere we have ever traveled she is loved and treasuresls, further showing me who she is. Every day I learn better the true meaning of being with someone. I look forward to growing together as we already have these past 7 years.”

Alex and Charleen were in their current home state of Colorado. Their amazing friends Nate and Joe flew all the way from Massachusetts to visit them. The wilderness was calling so they all went camping in the Flat Tops (wilderness). On the trip they went to the absolutely stunning Trappers Lake to paddle, chill, have some drinks and eat some lunch on a beautiful day. To take in all this beauty, Alex asked Nate and Joe to take their “picture.” Joe hit record while Nate snapped away photos, as Alex got down on one knee, said some beautiful words, and BAM, she said “YES!” Check out some of these photos in the gallery!

As to no surprise, Alex and Charleen knew they wanted to be in the mountains of Colorado to have an intimate elopement. They hiked to Gilpin Lake in the Zirkle Circle (say that 3 times). They packed everything (including the cake and dogs) that they needed and were off on the 5 mile hike to Gilpin. They took a moment to rest as they gained elevation, ate lunch, and they glammed up in all their wedding attire in the middle of the woods. They picked an absolutely beautiful location for sharing Vows situated right in front of the lake. They confessed their love and promises to each other as they exchanged tears, kisses, and joy. Then they hiked the 5 miles back to town, got home and signed the marriage certificate with Lynke as the very skilled witness (he had one eye then so yes he could see).

Please join us on Leap Day to celebrate the marriage of Alex and Charleen in the state where it all began 🖤