Our wedding has changed to an intimate ceremony june 6, 2020. We look forward to celebrating our reception with you June 5, 2021. Love, David & Anna

The year was 2008. David found himself reluctantly gearing up for a trip to Australia with his church group for World Youth Day. He wasn't exactly thrilled about spending his summer break on the other side of the world, especially not knowing many of the people going. Little did he know, fate had something extraordinary in store. Boarding the bus, David's eyes fell upon Anna for the first time, and there was an instant spark. Despite his initial reservations, he felt drawn to her, sensing she was someone special. Little did he realize then just how significant her presence would become in his life. As they journeyed through Australia with the group, David and Anna's conversations were effortless, offering glimpses into each other's worlds. While exploring the wonders of the land down under, David made a point to be near Anna whenever possible, always mindful not to overstep boundaries. Rumors may suggest that a certain elevator in a hotel witnessed their first kiss, though Anna would deny any such notion, especially given the sanctity of the church trip. Their initial connection was undeniable, leaving both eager to explore where it could lead once they returned home. Promises of staying in touch were made as the trip drew to a close, yet life had other plans, leading to six years of silence. Fast forward to 2014, with Anna and David now seniors in college, each on the brink of graduation. Their lives took separate paths after Australia, with Anna studying at CSU and David at CU. Anna and David now on the cusp of graduating college. Their paths crossed once more during the X Games in Aspen, a chance encounter reigniting dormant sparks. Determined not to let this second chance slip away, David mustered the courage to ask Anna out on a date, only to be met with a polite decline. But David was undeterred; persistence was his forte. Learning that Anna also resided in Denver post-college, he resolved to try once more. This time, Anna agreed, and their date marked the beginning of something truly remarkable. Looking back, it's clear that fate had orchestrated their paths to intertwine, setting the stage for a love story destined to unfold.

The Proposal. This one needs to be told through my perspective to get the whole story. One day I woke up and decided it was time to ask Anna to marry me. It had been on my mind for a while as I knew she was the one but something that day told me it was time. I began to prepare everything. I found a jeweler and designed the ring, asked Jesse, Anna's dad for his blessing, and even scoped out a few spots for the big question. The day was going to be perfect and I had it all planned out. Anna's mom Halina, her sister Elizabeth, and my dad were all flying into San Diego on Saturday morning and they were going to meet us for a surprise dinner at a beautiful restaurant in Del Mar. I was going to bring Anna out to the cliff where I first asked her to date me, and get down on one knee during a beautiful California sunset. We were then going go grab dinner and Anna would be surprised by family! Sounds pretty amazing right? Maybe even something out of a romantic movie. I am here to inform you that none of that actually happened… Here’s what actually happened. I woke up on Saturday morning to ashes falling from the sky (literally). The Malibu “Camp” fire was at its peak and all of LA was in a doomsday smoke. As I prepared to head to San Diego Anna decides to inform me that she has a work Gala in Los Angeles and is going to spend the weekend in LA. I tried making up a few excuses of why we needed to go to San Diego. One having to do with the smoke affecting my asthma and the other being a pretty lame work excuse. I didn't want to push too hard because I couldn't ruin the surprise. Next thing I know I find myself sitting at a movie theater in LA at 11am. 11am is also the time that the family was landing in San Diego.

Fast forward to 4pm. I am having a hard time keeping it together but Anna hasn't noticed anything too fishy. As we get ready and begin driving to the restaurant I come up with another "brilliant" plan. A cliff proposal was now out of the question but I could still somehow pull off the sunset part. We found a trail head that started at the edge of a neighborhood and I decided that it was going to have to work. I told Anna that we were going to try to see the fires from the peak but it wasn't the best excuse. As we began walking I decided that it was finally time and this was going to be the spot. As I got down on one knee I must have blacked out because after all the thought and preparation I had put into the moment, all I could say was "I didn't want it to be like this, but, Anna will you marry me?". I know, I know... Anna was speechless but was finally able to answer, "yes! Of course I will marry you". We then made it to the restaurant and were surprised by my dad, her mom and her sister. We had an amazing dinner and the rest is history.

I know this was a long story but I think there is a great moral to it. Life's not going to be perfect. Sometimes things are not going to go as planned but everything will work out in the end. I think this is a great look at our relationship and our future marriage. Our life isn't always going to be perfect or go how we planned it but I know I will always have an amazing woman by my side who will enjoy the journey with me. It’s not about the end but the journey, the stories and the people that you spend it with. I am so blessed to be able to marry the woman of my dreams and I wouldn't want it any other way.