We're going to make it official, you're going to make it a party!

It all started at a special place called Gilly Brew Bar. Every 1st Saturday of the month, Gilly hosted an event called Bars Behind the Bar (BBTB), inspired by NPR's "Tiny Desk". It was a night full of music, vibes, + community. One fateful November 2019 evening, Carly and her best friend Haley attended BBTB, where Ivan was working. Carly + Ivan never could have imagined that that night- in the old mayor's house under the glow of the mood lighting and sound of the guitar and cello- they would be meeting the love of their life. They had their first exchange and after hearing about Carly’s growing knowledge of coffee while living in Norway, Ivan wasted no time convincing Daniel, the owner, to bring her on to the team. Carly joined the team 1/4/20 and from then on, she and Ivan became an unstoppable force behind the bar pushing through rushes and busy days on the weekends with flow and rhythm. Daniel and Nephthaly (owners) quickly saw their work chemistry and so came questions…”so do you like Ivan?”...”do you like Carly?” The questions were never-ending not only from them but also customers! While they enjoyed working together, cracked jokes, and shared meals together, they never thought of themselves as anything more than friends. (really) So came the pandemic. Their friendship grew as their "bubbles" shrunk due to the lockdown, leading them to spend more quality time together. They didn’t think anything of it so much that Carly even helped Ivan create a Hinge dating profile! Then came October 2020 when Carly (reluctantly) and Haley invited Ivan on their girls' trip to Denver. If it wasn’t for Haley’s suggestion to invite Ivan (who hadn't taken any time off all year), the couple wouldn't have spent as much time together. From their flight to driving and camping, it was truly a bonding experience. On the flight home, Carly was sleeping and Ivan found himself gazing over at her. It was at this moment he thought "Carly's kinda cute". Time passed and people were most confused than ever, wondering if they were together or not. Christmas was around the corner, and so were the sparks. One night, Carly had the idea to host a movie night w/ the Gilly gang - the team and friends. While most were on board for the fun (10 confirmed!), many of their tired friends backed out last minute. That night, it was just Neph, Carly, + Ivan watching Christmas Vacation until one had to leave... Then there were two. Eventually, after hours of watching Bon Iver videos and listening to music, Carly grew tired of being careful not to rest her head on Ivan's shoulder. In a moment of weakness (in her neck) she let her head fall (Ivan calls this the first move). At that moment, his heart began to race and Carly was shocked at how loud it was, thinking it was her own at first 😂 Fast-forward to Christmas 2020, Ivan wanted to give a gift to Carly. He thought about how deeply she missed Norway and since there was no chance of visiting anytime soon, Ivan found a way to bring Norway to HER. Reaching out to her friends, he got to work creating Norway in a box, filling it with treasured Norwegian goods (brown cheese, soda, candy, and coffee). Not wanting to be suspicious. he got a gift for her roommates too- it was the perfect plan. Before Carly left for FL, Ivan was really adamant about seeing her open her gift. He drove an hour. She opened it and was SHOCKED! By a literal act of God, Ivan was able to get her favourite Norwegian coffee shipped to the US. She tried before and found it impossible. This made her question if he liked her...he was asking himself the same thing. After the holidays Ivan shared his feelings with her and invited her on their first date. Through life's ups and downs, they've only grown stronger together, seeing God's hand in every part of it. What started as friendship quickly grew to be something deeper. It was as if everyone around them saw what would be before they could fathom it. To be continued...