One day in the summer of 2014, my coworker asked me if I could sub on his sand volleyball team. Being an enthusiastic volleyball player and a generally fun-loving guy, I accepted. I had no idea this simple decision would change my life forever! When I arrived at the match that afternoon, I was smitten by the beautiful, outgoing girl on my team. I was impressed by her volleyball skills and even more impressed by her hilarious sound effects on the court. Naturally, I offered to buy her a beer after the game and she accepted. I asked her if she'd have dinner with me, but she had a conflict and couldn't make it work. I kept at it though and my persistence eventually paid off - my phone buzzed a few months later and our life together began!

I arrived at my sand volleyball league, just as I did every week. But this week, one of my teammates was unavailable. Enter...Ben. Ben was a colleague of one of my teammates. Sure, I thought he was cute and really good at volleyball. But also a little cocky for my taste. Strike 1. Following the game, he bought us a round of beers. Strike 2 (for those of you who don’t know, I hate beer). He asks me out on a date, and I decline as I’m dating someone else at the time. Strike 3. Months go by and we chat here and there, but Ben doesn’t give up. Until one fateful evening, newly single, I thought…”what the heck…” and text Ben. Best text of my life.

On a rainy day in April of 2018, Ben took Jess on a "date day" of all their favorite things. This included a hike up the Flatirons in Boulder with their dog, Louis Potato in tow. It was a repeat of the first hike Ben and Jess ever did together, three years prior. At the top of the Flatirons, Ben pulled out a poem he had written for Jess and read it to her. Thinking it a super sweet gesture, but not out of the ordinary, Jess was clueless about what would come next. Louis then pulled out his own poem and totally showed Ben up. It read: Kibble is brown Our family is rad Let's make this official Will you marry my dad?