Aaron and I met in St. Petersburg, Russia shortly after we embarked on Semester at Sea, a four month journey that would take us to 15 different countries. I was charmed immediately and we spent several weeks becoming close friends - talking about our favorite albums, laughing hysterically, and traveling the world together. We shared our first kiss in Ghana and became official in South Africa. We spent the rest of our journey together. After a relatively short relationship of two months, we knew that we wanted to make it work. We spent six months long distance (I was in St. Louis, MO and Aaron was in Boulder, CO). I decided to finish up my college degree at University of Denver (my dream school). In Colorado, we were only separated by a short drive. From there, we survived surgery and some less than ideal living situations (hellllllo roommates and gas leaks), and both worked as we finished up college. We got a little dog named Barry and both looked for jobs in St. Louis after graduating, where we live currently. I met Aaron at the perfect time and he's truly the greatest gift I've ever been given - I'll save the rest of the smooshy stuff for our vows. We can't wait to celebrate with you!

Claire and I had a planned a trip to Colorado last summer. Once we had finalized the dates, I knew it was the perfect opportunity to get down on one knee. After completing the “best proposal ever” checklist, I went to Kim and she not only gave her permission to marry Claire but generously allowed me to use her own wedding ring. (Kim is the best.) On June 23, after spending some time adventuring around Colorado, Claire and I hiked Booth Lake Trail, a moderately difficult 4.8 mile hike near Vail. After 5 hours, you probably thought we were a pair of escaped convicts. We were sweaty, hangry and exhausted. We started to drive through Vail and even though I was testing Claire’s love for me by “aimlessly” driving around the town, I “accidently” took us to the five-star Sebastian Hotel. After a much needed shower, we left for Beano’s Cabin in Beaver Creek for the main event. I mistimed our departure slightly, so after racing through the winding mountain roads of Vail/Beaver Creek for ten minutes, I saw the shuttle to the restaurant and screamed at Claire to sprint to the shuttle. Claire went beast mode and caught it. We shuttled up to the restaurant where our engagement photographer was happily inebriated and tucked away at the bar. A quick wink and a thumbs up on our way in proved he still had control over his faculties. After some delicious food and wine, time slowed down. The standard anxiety and fear crept over me. I knew how much Claire and I loved each other and that only an asteroid hitting us would prevent the engagement from being a success. Still, I thought about how extraordinary Claire was and what I had to do to make sure she was loved and cared for the way she deserved. The dessert plate came out with a special message from our time at Semester at Sea. I dropped on one knee and in that moment my fears vanished. All I could see were her beautiful blue eyes and that life-giving smile. After putting the ring on the wrong hand, she said yes!