We're getting married!

[Dylan] Maggie and I met right before the start of the 2018 fall semester at Weber State University in Ogden, Utah. I was a resident assistant of the dorm she moved into. After a meet-and-greet with the residents and RA's, I learned that Maggie, a new student at Weber, was in the same zoology program as I. Given the fact that my jaw hit the floor the second she walked in, I knew I had to try and get to know her more. After a few hikes, movie nights, and attending zoology-related lectures together, we decided to make things official. Seven years, five states, and many adventures later, we finally moved back to the state where we fell in love and are ready to tie the knot!

[Maggie] To say our engagement day took me by surprise would be an understatement. We had taken a few days to escape Massachusetts to go up to New York and visit Dylan's parents. After a fun few days in Clayton, we were stopping back in Altamont before heading home. I had been bugging Dylan about getting some nice pictures of us together since we mostly just had selfies. Since Dylan's dad is a photographer, Dylan asked him to take some of us up at Hang Glider's Point, an outlook above his hometown that he took me to back in 2019 when I first visited New York with him. I had also been pestering him about when he was going to pop the question - I knew he had the ring, but he was adamant that he wouldn't propose until we moved back out west. Little did I know that there was a ring box in the camera bag I was carrying on our short hike out to the point! We took some pictures together, and we were (I thought) getting ready to leave when Dylan asked for one picture of me looking out over the edge of the point. I stood there, feeling a bit awkward, when I heard something along the lines of "why won't the video work, ugh." My heart started beating a little faster, and before I knew it, I heard Dylan say "it's beautiful up here, isn't it?". I turned around to see him on one knee, ring in hand. "Maggie Topalian, will you marry me?" he said. I couldn't fully believe my eyes at first, but my hands immediately flew up to cover my face in the typical "omg I'm getting proposed to" pose. It was an instant "yes," and the rest is history.

[Dylan] My favorite memory of us goes back to the fall of 2019. On our way home from a fieldtrip down to southern Utah for Maggie's herpetology class, we had a spur-of-the-moment decision to pull off the road that morning to go on a hike up Spring Creek Canyon Trail. The morning sun reflecting through the canyon on the mesas still pierce my memory like nothing else. It was as if the fall colors from the trees were being painted onto the rocks above. As we continued up the trail for a few hours, we realized that we couldn't hike all day. We, of course, had classes the next morning, so, instead of simply turning around and heading back to the car, or journeying further down the trail and inevitably spending the entire day backpacking with no supplies, we spotted another option. It appeared that lower part of the mesa closest to us was "relatively climbable." After several minutes of trekking up the Navajo sandstone with some thorny bushes sprinkled in, we were able to sit just above the tree tops to get the full view of the canyon. With all that said and done, it was still the second most beautiful sight I saw that day. [Maggie] It's hard to pick just one - Biking through Glacier National Park? Sledding down a tiny hill on a borrowed sled at Vail because we couldn't afford $300 lift tickets? Skiing every weekend at Powder Mountain? As much as I love every one of our adventures, I can't help but say that most my favorite memories are the simplest ones of us laughing together, usually at the silliest things. It's those times where my stomach is aching, my cheeks cramping, and I'm barely able to breathe from laughing so hard that I feel most grateful to be alive and for our relationship.

[Dylan] To Jeremy. Despite the distance between us never being the same since you went off to college in 2011, I feel more close to you than ever before. The nights we spend online chatting and gaming gives me something to look forward to every time we can pull each other away from work. Thank you for always being such a grounded pillar of support for me. I can't wait to show you the place I've grown to call home. To Dad. I know it must be difficult living so far away from your youngest son. However, I want you to know that I've learned from your years of experiences in order to grow into being the best version of myself. I don't think I would be living out here in the mountains if you weren't there to take me on all those road trips growing up. Through art, music, and and an ambition to see the world, a piece of you will always be right with me. To Mom. With all that we've gone through together in the past, it's no wonder that I place you on the highest pillar in regards to morals, values, and ethics. I am who I am because you've strived my whole life to always show me how to simply be a good person. It's crucial for you to understand that my ability to be the best partner I can be for Maggie comes from you. Please take solace in knowing that I, too, will strive to pass on what you've taught me. [Maggie] To Mom - I don't even know where to begin. Thank you for always encouraging me to follow my heart and my dreams. It was this encouragement that led me out to Utah, where I not only got to live my dream of living in the mountains, but also had the luck of meeting my other half. You've been there for me through it all - the highest of the highs and the lowest of the lows. I am endlessly thankful for you, and I'm so proud to be your daughter. To Dad - I know, it's the day that all fathers dread: "giving" your daughter away. But we both know that you're not truly giving me away - in fact, we also both know that you could never get rid of me even if you wanted to. (Remember, that room is still mine until I'm at least 30!) The support you've shown both me and Dylan means more to me than I could ever express. Thank you for always encouraging me to step out of my comfort zone and embrace life. I may have grown up, but I will always be your little girl. To Grammy and Grampy - my babysitters, chauffeurs, teachers, mentors, cheerleaders, friends, and all around best grandparents I could ever ask for. I am so lucky that you two have played such a huge role in my life since the day I was born. From driving me from school to gymnastics practice for years on end to keeping in touch via texts and photos every week when I'm on the other side of the country, you both have been my rocks since the very beginning. I'll never forget bringing Dylan to meet you for the first time - the way you both embraced him into our family will be imprinted in my memory and on my heart forever. Finally, to Papa, Aunt Liz, and Grammy - while you three may not be at our wedding in person, I know you will be there in spirit. I miss you all, and I will be holding your memories in my heart as I embark on this next chapter of my life.