We officially met in statistics and economics in 2014. To set the scene, Colton was wearing his signature 5 panel hat and a button up. Ness was wearing Muma socks and Birkenstock’s (she was a real show stopper back then). Colt made the first move and used Vanessa’s current fly shop gig as leverage to ask about the bug hatches on the Provo. She countered with an invite to go fishing after class that week. Taken off guard by her upfront response, he agreed. How could he possibly pass up the opportunity to fish with the cutest nerd in Econ? The first date consisted of catching zero fish and the two of them getting lost in the dark on the Provo river. Somewhere within the next three fishing excursions, they both knew they had found their best friend, P.I.C. and adventure buddy.

Countless camping trips and five years of school later, Colt finally popped the qustion. The story goes that the two defended their masters thesis’s and then loaded up the truck for a celebratory trip to Jackson Hole, Wyoming. After a long day of searching for good water and getting thrown out of the park by a very serious park ranger, the two finally settled on the middle fork of the buffalo just a couple miles up river. Whilst taking her turn at an attempt to catch a lunker, Vanessa was instead busy getting tangled up in her line. Although she thought Colton was ducking from the sheer terror of getting a hook to the face, he was not. When she turned around to give up on her endevour, Colt was down on his knee in the river. As you can guess, she said yes! And the rest they say, is history.