It was a beautiful May day in sunny Beaver Creek, Colorado. I had just graduated from Duke two weeks prior, and Cooper had just moved home following his CU Boulder graduation (Sko Buffs). I went to the Blues, Brews, and BBQ festival with my family, where I planned to meet up with some friends (shout out to Gracen). The festival was full of music, happiness, and yummy smells as we celebrated the start of summer! I remember my mom asking Gracen if there were any guys she could introduce me to at the festival, and Gracen said "Well there is this one guy, Cooper Perkins." Fast forward a couple hours, and we were all hanging out having a great time. I felt guilty leaving my family to hang out with him and expressed those feelings to my mom, who then said "No - go hang out with them! That guy is cute!" - Thanks SalPal! So, we spent the afternoon enjoying the festival all together and getting to know each other. Cooper had just had eye surgery, so the joke is that he couldn't actually see me and was just taking a chance on me ;) What a funny guy. I knew Cooper liked me when it was time for him to leave the festival. He gave me a hug goodbye and got my phone number. Then he hugged everyone else goodbye, and then, wouldn't you know it, he was back to say goodbye to me again with another hug! We made plans to meet up later that night. That evening, Cooper texted me and invited me to hangout at "his place," which he definitely should have clarified was also his mom's place! But, instead, I convinced him to come up to Beaver Creek and meet me for a drink at the Dusty Boot. We had great conversations, and I was definitely starting to like him. He then walked me home, where we had our first kiss under the very deck where we would get engaged 4.5 years later, and the rest is history!

In October of 2021, we planned a weekend in Beaver Creek to celebrate my mom, Sally's, birthday. My brothers flew in with their girlfriends, and my best friend, Blair, even came - she's part of the family too! I was a little suspicious with so many of my favorite people there at once, but I ultimately concluded the engagement wasn't going to happen that weekend. After a day of hiking, we got ready for dinner. As everyone was leaving the house, my mom "forgot" her phone and sent Cooper upstairs to find it. After some time, she asked me to go help him, and Blair said she would come too. When I got to the top of the stairs, Cooper was waiting on the deck with two aperol spritzes (my favorite drink @mountainspritzgal), and I knew then it was all a ploy! Cooper described how special Beaver Creek was to both us and our relationship, and he explained that he felt it was the best place to ask me to marry him! There were tears, and Blair captured it all on video and through photos! Cooper also surprised me with a beautiful ring with the center diamond so generously gifted by his grandma Sally. We went down to the village to dinner and there was a surprise engagement party for us hosted by both of our families at one of our favorite restaurants, The Golden Eagle Inn. Maddie, Cooper’s sister, and her boyfriend even flew in from New York! Now we can't wait to go back to the same place where we met and where we got engaged to finally get married!