We're Getting Hitched!!

It all started in the gym during the winter of 2019 with us both sneaking glances at each other while working out. With Vail being a small town, our mutual friends led us to become connected on social media shortly before our mountain community went into quarantine. With the gyms reopening in May, Dan reached out since he had not seen me back in the gym. This led to us messaging back and forth and to the eventual exchange of phone numbers. After a few months of talking every day and not being able to meet up, I finally decided to invite Dan out with a group of my friends for drinks in town. We had a lot of fun and I was impressed that he showed up to meet a group of people he had never met before. A few days later I agreed to what would be the best first date ever at Lancelot in Vail Village. Dinner was great and the conversation was fantastic! We immediately hit it off and both knew that we wanted to be with each other. As Dan likes to say, “I couldn’t resist that southern Cook charm.”

I knew early on that Cassie was the one. We had an instant bond and our personalities thrived together. After meeting her family a few times and surviving a 28-hour drive to North Dakota and back, I knew I was ready. I began to sneak in questions to get a sense of what kind of rings Cassie liked. This did not help, as she had no clue and probably knew less about rings than myself. I took a chance and chose one I hoped she would love. The night before Thanksgiving, Cassie, her mother, and I were watching movies when luckily Cassie's laundry finished upstairs. I knew this was my chance- I pulled out the ring and told her mother how much I loved her daughter and that I knew I wanted to spend forever with her. She was completely shocked, but you could see the excitement as her eyes began to water. I knew I could take a sigh of relief as she was more than happy to say yes. I hid the ring away before Cassie came back downstairs. The next challenge was asking her Dad. After Thanksgiving lunch the next day, everyone had dispersed and Cassie was getting ready to pack to head home. This left her father and I at the table. Before I could finish my first sentence, he told me that he had a feeling this was coming soon and gave me his blessing as well. The following weekend was our first day snowboarding on the mountain together for the first time ever. It was a beautiful day and the weather was perfect. Near the end of the afternoon after having an amazing time, I suggested we stop for a few pictures. I decided to take a video and find pictures from it. While we were goofing off, I snuck the ring box out of my pocket and took a knee. I could not believe the absolute surprise on her face! Cassie was speechless. The look of pure bliss was shortly followed by an ecstatic “YES!” I could not have asked for a more perfect day snowboarding with the love of my life in our backyard. We went up the gondola as boyfriend and girlfriend – we came down the mountain as fiancé and fiancée.