Alexa and Brandon’s love story began long before they even knew it. Both were born in Milton, just miles apart, yet fate kept them on separate paths for 23 years. When Alexa was five, her family moved to Topsfield, where she would grow up and graduate from Masconomet Regional High School, while Brandon stayed rooted in Milton. Life carried them forward—Alexa to Colby College and Brandon to Brandeis University—until the world paused during their senior year. In late 2020, as life slowly opened back up, both downloaded Hinge and unknowingly set the stage for something extraordinary. Brandon’s first message was sparked by Alexa’s prompt: “Which piece of the brownie is better: center or edge?” His answer was simple, but it was the beginning of everything. Fast forward to 2022 when they began a tradition that would become one of their greatest joys: visiting national parks together. Their first adventure took them to the geysers of Yellowstone and alpine vistas of Grand Teton. In 2023, they hiked through the rivers of Zion and along the walls of the Grand Canyon. The following year brought them to the lush beauty of Mt. Rainier and the rugged peaks of North Cascades. Then in 2025, on a warm, November day in Bryce Canyon, Brandon got down on one knee along the secluded Peekaboo Loop and asked for Alexa's hand in marriage.