Katie and Caleb first crossed paths the old-fashioned way at a local watering hole in Denver. They didn’t think much of it at the time, but fate had other plans. That winter, a friend invited both of them on a ski trip. Since not many people are functional at 5am, the group left later than planned, turning the drive into a leisurely three-hour journey. With plenty of time to talk, Katie and Caleb got to know each other properly. Katie was mildly concerned by the strange man beside her who spent most of the ride daintily sipping tea (a detail she would later learn was complete fiction. Caleb is, in fact, a raging coffee addict). Still, they hit it off. Katie asked for his number, figuring she could always use more friends after moving to a new city. Caleb insists it was because he was simply irresistible. Katie maintains it was strictly platonic. This debate remains unresolved to this day. Over the following months, their friendship continued to grow. Katie hosted gatherings at her place, and Caleb was always there. He, in turn, kept inviting her to everything his friend group was doing. In April, Caleb had an extra ticket to a Red Rocks concert and asked Katie to join the group. When she arrived and realized every other person was part of a couple, she quietly concluded this must be a date and that Caleb might be interested in more than friendship. Caleb has always and continues to vehemently deny this, claiming he simply didn’t want the ticket to go to waste. As summer arrived, the weather warmed, and in July, Katie and her friends reserved a boat on Lake Dillon. Caleb and one of his good friends tagged along for a full day of sunshine and lake shenanigans. It was that weekend when Katie started to realize her feelings for Caleb had grown into something deeper, confirmed by a timely and very helpful observation from an old friend. Not long after, Caleb invited Katie over for dinner. He cooked his world-famous penne alla vodka, later perfected with a few strategic tweaks from Katie, and they watched Ratatouille. And just like that… it was game over.

Despite living in Colorado, Katie and Caleb do not hike all that much. They swear they are really active people. They just have too many other hobbies they can do. In late August, Caleb suggested doing a hike he had done many times with family. The Baldwins even keep an official ranking of everyone's fastest times on this trail. To throw Katie off the scent, he casually mentioned that a good buddy of his might join them because he would be in town for the weekend. On Friday morning, they drove up to Lily Mountain. During the drive, Katie noticed something was definitely off with Caleb. He kept missing green lights, zoning out mid conversation, and driving like he had never been behind the wheel before. When she asked what was wrong, he blamed it on not having enough coffee, a classic excuse from a raging coffee addict. Once they started hiking, Katie grew even more confused and increasingly frustrated. This was supposed to be a timed hike, yet Caleb was moving at a snail's pace. Her frustration peaked when he dramatically dropped and maimed her water bottle on a rock instead of simply handing it to her to put in her backpack. Needless to say, Katie was not amused. She started rage hiking up the mountain ahead of him. When they finally reached the top, Caleb was quieter than usual. He later admitted he was convinced Katie already knew what was happening, especially after she bought new hiking pants the day before and complained about a stomachache, which he interpreted as nerves. Katie maintains the stomachache was 100% caused by the pumpkin spice latte she had chugged at the start of the hike. She would also like it noted for the record that boys are ridiculous if they think girls would prepare for a proposal by purchasing hiking pants, instead of getting their nails done or literally anything else. Caleb mentioned he needed to put on a jacket because of the cool breeze. His genius plan to covertly grab the ring was partially foiled by Katie's leisurely ways. She also agreed she needed her jacket because of the breeze. While kneeling on rocks behind her, Katie was fiddling with her jacket, sipping on water, and taking in a different view. Finally, she listened when he told her to turn around for the tenth time. Even then, Katie could not believe what she was seeing. She immediately started yelling at him for pulling a prank. Below are few quotes from that moment: • “Why are you on one knee?“ • “Is this a joke?” • “I believe I am supposed to say something.” As you all now know, this was not a joke, and she did in fact say something.