We eloped!

Once upon a time, in a midwestern land of lecture halls, campus trails, and tiny dorm rooms, there lived two engineering students. There was Nino, Mr. Buzzcut and big muscles. Quiet, focused on the gym and even more focused on school. And there was me, a funny, friendly loudmouth track runner with a big booty, according to Nino. Throughout our four and a half years of college and internships, many beers were shot gunned and several wild spring break trips were had. Nino lifted heavy weights and spun bike wheels on the Madison County trails while I ran hundreds of miles on the track and then showed up to class to take a nap. We were brought closer through our mutual friend group and engineering projects — most notably performing finite element analysis on a barbell. But romance between us? Nah. Our four-year platonic friendship didn’t shift into the slow burn friends-to-lovers trope until the PVC pipe and twelve neck ties entered the picture. First kiss at Morningside. BF + GF on December 19, 2018. Full send first date skiing and snowboarding in Jackson Hole, WY. We moved in together after 8 months of dating. For the next six years, we supported each other fiercely through it all — our first engineering jobs, the pandemic, the quest to move out west, Nino’s dad’s passing, taking turns quitting our jobs to find our purpose, multiple existential crises, the deep dark depression, the fire hot anxiety, and as we chased our bikepacking, lifting, and ultra running dreams. We are deep people whose souls belong together, summiting mountain peaks. We communicate honestly and lovingly. We’re self-aware and deeply aware of each other. We’re problem-solvers and dreamers and doers. We do not settle, and we push hard for what we want and what we believe will make the world a better place. And we are dedicated to supporting each other’s journeys, no matter what it takes. Nino proposed to me at home with a bottle of wine, candles, and a love letter on September 18, 2025. He also had a ring. ;) I jumped up and down and said “yes!” On February 2, 2026 we eloped in the Colorado Rocky Mountains with our sweet & psycho German Shorthaired Pointer, Rue. We self-solemnized, officiating our ceremony ourselves, and had Rue stamp her paw print as our witness. So wholesome. The only other human in attendance was our incredibly talented photographer, Maddy, who helped make the day feel so special and beautiful. We shared a sweet first look (Rue stole the show), read our vows we wrote together, wandered through the woods, cut the pizza, poured the Cab Sauv, and signed our marriage license. Nino was, in fact, so ready to marry me… he signed it twice. We stayed in a cozy A-frame cabin and spent a peaceful week tucked among the aspens and evergreens — hot tubbing, cooking and making cocktails, reading books and binging shows, skiing and snowboarding, and trail running through the snow with Rue. It was everything we could have hoped for! Simple, meaningful, and entirely us. We can’t wait to celebrate with our friends and family soon. 🤍