It was 2016 and we were both frequenters at The Red Dot Coffee Company in Northville, MI; Allie because well, she worked there and Brandon because of the good coffee…and maybe the cute barista (aka: Allie). We didn’t say much to each other beyond standard barista-to-customer interactions, but little did we know…. One night in September 2021, we were both on a dating app and Brandon happened to pop up on my (Allie’s) feed. One thing lead to another and we ended up on our first date that weekend! We instantly connected over our mutual love for different music, coffee shops & the great state of Colorado. Fast forward to August 2022 - we started putting our relationship to a whole new test when Brandon was offered an amazing position in (of all places) Colorado. If months of dating, 2 Half Ironman races and 20+ hours moving your significant other across the country doesn’t test your relationship, long-distance DEFINITELY will! Despite being 1200 miles apart, we’ve made long-distance work, between texting, phone calls, FaceTime and trips back & forth. We planned a trip for Allie to come out to CO November 2022 and one of our last nights together, we decided to go on a hike at Red Rocks Amphitheater. The sunset was starting and cars were lining up for a concert when we got to the top of a hill. There was no one else in sight, so we decided to take a quick photo with the backdrop. As I (Allie) walked over to pose for the photo, Brandon reached in his pocket, pulled out his phone…and a little black box. He smiled, then got down on one knee and popped the question! We celebrated the night with lots of FaceTime calls to family & friends, drinks at a local speakeasy and now, we can’t wait to continue celebrating with all of you! See you September 16th.