We're Married and living happily ever after

We met when I worked at TCF Bank located in Park Meadows. Andy was working at Maggiano's nearby and he would come in and deposit money each week. We would have great conversations and my co-worker suggested that I ask him out. I was like, "What?! I've never done that!" So one day in January, I finally got the courage and he walked in...I totally chickened out! Then, not knowing, my colleagues had planned to make us talk the next time he was in. On February 10th, 2017, Andy walked in. All of my teammates immediately went to our back room and shut the door so that I was the only employee to help him. In my head, I said, "Well, this was the day!" So I did and the rest is history!

I had been working in the service industry for years and moved to Colorado in 2010. Luckily my bank had branches in Colorado, and there was one located near the restaurant I had transferred to. Working in a cash-based industry, I was frequently in the bank depositing cash. I noticed a cute bank employee and we always seemed to have a nice conversation to the point where I looked forward to visiting each week. I would tell my friends about her and they'd tell me I was crazy...they'd say "she works in customer service...it's literally HER JOB to be nice to you." I would tell them that it was more than that, and they would tell me I was out of my mind. I had decided I wanted to ask her out and there would always be a reason I didn't do it. Maybe it was too busy, maybe her co-workers were around, or maybe it just didn't feel like the right time. I would try to drop hints and talk about being single, and I even left her a business card one day hoping she would call. It never happened. Then one day, I decided it was the day. I wasn't going to let anything stop me. I walked in for my weekly deposit and it was strangely quiet. Her co-workers were nowhere in sight, and it was just the two of us all the way at the end of the teller line. As usual, we had a nice conversation and she completed my transaction. I took a deep breath and before I could say anything, she said "would you maybe want to go out sometime?" I exhaled deeply and told her "YES!!!" I told her how long I had been wanting to ask her out, and that I had always found a reason not to. Without wasting any time, we went on our first date two days later. Six years later, she's now my wife and I couldn't be happier. It seems like the stars were aligned that particular day, and I'm grateful every day that our paths crossed in the way that they did.

Excited to celebrate our 5-year anniversary, Andy secretly rented out the whole dining room to our favorite restaurant, Chada Thai in Denver CO. It's a small, family-owned establishment that Andy had been frequenting for years since moving into the City Park neighborhood. It was also the location of a lot of their date nights and was within walking distance from his apartment at the time. As a cover story, he claimed that it was due to Covid and he wanted to make sure that we had the whole place to ourselves. Andy had been going there for years and was very friendly with the staff, so it wasn't out of the realm of possibility that he could have arranged for this private evening. Madi had no idea what was about to happen. Little did she know, Andy had bigger plans for this special night. On this particular snow-kissed evening, Andy got the staff to help decorate the place with flowers and candles and the staff was ready to film the proposal when he gave them the signal. As Madi walked in, she was so taken aback by how beautiful the restaurant was! Even during the course of our dinner, the staff had to turn people away because "there was a private event taking place." It felt all the more special having the room to ourselves. After enjoying our delicious dinner, it was picture time! It was also time for Andy to pop the question. He asked his friend and waiter, Derek, if he would take a picture for our anniversary. Just as Derek reached for his camera, Andy got down on one knee and said "We've been through so much together over the past 5 years, moving in together, staying healthy during the height of covid, and enduring the Marshall fire disaster...I don't think there's anything we can't get through together, and there's no one I'd rather have done it with...will you marry me?" Madi said, "Yes, of course, I will!" The entire staff came out to see the proposal and felt so honored that we chose their restaurant for our special moment. Even the owner had tears in her eyes as she expressed her joy and wished us a long and happy life together. It was the perfect way to document our proposal in a place where we had created so many great memories over the course of our relationship. To this day it's still a special place for us, and a place we dine at regularly.

Celebrating coming together at Chautauqua Park in Boulder, CO.

1. Small Business Owner: Creative Organizing & Co. 2. Bucket List: wants to live in another country for a year 3. Loves being a CAT MOM!

1. Horror movie LOVER! 2. Writing a book about the service industry 3. Enjoys cooking

Our next life goal together is buying our first home. We LOVE cooking and can't wait to host!