Lets rewind to almost 10 years ago.. Paige wasn’t even supposed to be at Phi Kapp that night it turns out. On her way to DU (pause for booing) a friend had convinced Paige that there was someone she had to meet at the Phi Kapp fraternity. After some aimless wandering through the house, I was found in the second old bathroom taking a quick break from my sober driving responsibilities. All I heard was my fraternity brother yell out “HERE HE IS!”. I hadn’t quite yet completed what I had started but I guess there wasn’t much he cared about at that point in the evening. And I’m very glad he didn’t. Enter into the men’s bathroom, Paige Diehl. There she stood looking beautiful in a navy-blue dress with her beautiful brown eyes fitting to be anywhere other than a fraternity bathroom. The intro was made, and, for me, I guess it was already over. We flirted for a minute or two and I could tell she was trying to move along the conversation now that she had met me to get back to her original plans. On the fly, I told her that I would trade her the necklace koozie I was wearing at the time to hold my car keys for her number. She enthusiastically handed it over, but I wasn’t too sure if she was more enthusiastic about me or the koozie to be honest… we still have that koozie today. My entire life and world were flipped upside down and forever changed by good friends, a full bladder, a koozie, and a little fate. It’s the most eventful night of my life that I met my future wife.

Another year another all-out extravaganza for Paige’s birthday. But this year was going to be a little different. Anyone that knows Paige knows that her heart and generosity know no bounds, and birthdays are certainly no exception. Over the years Paige has thrown several surprise parties for me and others. Now it would be her turn to receive the surprise I have been waiting a long time to give her. I knew that she would never expect her birthday & an engagement to correlate. It was then up to me to make the proposal as perfect as possible for the person that I would be asking to share the rest of my life with. It took several months and some carefully placed texts and calls to friends and family, but it was finally the day I had been waiting for nearly 9 years. I set up a scavenger hunt in the house to find specific items that are symbolic of our relationship, our friendship, and the lives that we had built together thus far. As much as she loved the thoughtful and romantic clues it was obvious that Paige had no idea where the hunt was headed. As the clues dwindled down we headed to the backyard where, on the spot our new home would be, a carefully placed board covered in a sheet had the final clue set on top: “Paige, I love you. You’re my best friend. I can’t wait for you to see your birthday present.” The ring that I had kept a secret for months had been tightly clutched in my hand in my pocket throughout the entire scavenger hunt. Now I could finally show her what I’ve been wanting to give to her for so long. As Paige lifted the sheet a wooden board that had been transformed into a collage of Paige and I over the last 8+ years was revealed that simply read “MARRY ME”. It took Paige a moment but once she realized what it said, she spun around to see me on one knee holding the gift that I was finally able to give. There, in the back of a rental house, on the spot of our new house, after more than 8 years, I asked the woman I love to marry me. And she said yes.