Ivory and Nolan first crossed paths in a shared kindergarten class at Pagosa Springs Elementary School. Their lives continued to intertwine throughout school, as they shared the same 2nd grade, 3rd grade, and 5th grade homeroom classes, as well as many shared classes throughout middle and high school (Ivory and Nolan even had lockers right next to each other in 5th grade). Although acquainted for years, the two didn't become close until sophomore year of high school in their government class. After various flirtatious encounters at their table all year long, Nolan tried dropping "subtle" hints to Ivory about the Sadie Hawkins-style "Winterfest" school dance. Initially oblivious, Ivory was eventually convinced by her friend Peyton, who also sat at their table, to ask Nolan to the school dance. After attending the dance together and sharing a slow dance on the dance floor on February 9th of 2019, it was clear to Nolan that Ivory was interested. The following week, Nolan and Ivory surprised each other with Valentine's Day gifts, further confirming their romantic connection. Nolan asked Ivory on a real first date that weekend, where they went for coffee at the Higher Grounds Coffee Shop. The coffee was followed by baking Ivory's famous chocolate chip cookies at her house. Fate was on their side when a huge blizzard struck Pagosa Springs on February 18th, leading to nearly an entire week of stay-at-home snow days. Ivory and Nolan continued to hang out that week, thanks to the winter storm, where they discovered a massive shared love for Star Wars. They watched the original 3 Star Wars movies, accompanied by playing hours of Lego Star Wars on the Xbox. On the snowy afternoon of February 21st, 2019, Nolan asked Ivory to officially be his girlfriend. Shocker: she said yes! The two continued to date throughout high school, where they got to know each other's families better, ran track together, and even experienced the global pandemic together (where they didn't see each other for 4 very long months). After walking together at their high school graduation on June 5th, 2021, Ivory made the decision to attend North Carolina State University for college, while Nolan decided to stay in Colorado at Colorado State University. A difficult year of a long-distance relationship inspired Ivory to move back to Colorado where she would finish her undergraduate career at the University of Colorado Boulder, only an hour away from Nolan. Living in Colorado as college students, Ivory and Nolan shared nearly every weekend together doing various adventures, such as skiing, mountain biking, rock climbing, hiking, camping, and enjoying time with friends. During their Christmas break of senior year, they visited their hometown to spend several days with Nolan's parents. On December 20th, 2024, Ivory and Nolan went skiing at Wolf Creek Ski Area (their home mountain). While riding the Treasure chair lift, Nolan convinced Ivory to dismount her snowboard at the top of the mountain with the incentive of hot chocolate at the Continental Espresso Bar. Unbeknownst to Ivory, Nolan's ulterior motive was proposing to Ivory at the top of the mountain. He even hired a secret photographer to capture the beautiful moment on that blue-bird morning. Ivory did not end up with hot chocolate, but instead received the engagement ring of her dreams. After almost 7 years of dating, they are thrilled to officially commit to each other forever on June 6th, 2026, in the place where their love story began.