Our wedding celebration is happening! September 11, 2021

It was a chilly November night in Boston in 2014 when we had our first date. Our paths crossed through a dating app called Coffee Meets Bagel, and I quickly noticed that Zack had a picture from a heli-skiing trip. His interests included skiing, crew, and cooking...so right away the odds looked good. He suggested we meet for drinks at Barcelona Wine Bar, and I accepted. Over the next four hours, one drink turned into apps, apps turned into dinner. At the end of the meal, a miscommunication with the bartender resulted in an apple crisp topped with a slab of dulce de leche AND ice cream, rather than the caramel flavored ice cream we thought was on the menu (highly recommended by the way). After three dates, things were going well, so we planned our first ski trip together--the ultimate test. We drove up to Pico, the Friendly Mountain, and though we missed the *first chair*, we were on the lift by a respectable 8:15 am. We stood on the summit looking out on the freshly groomed corduroy, and I made Zack go ahead of me. I thought to myself after watching the first few turns, "yeah, this might just work".

One of our favorite activities together is eating great food. Last year Zack's birthday landed on a Friday, so I pulled out all the stops and planned two special dinners for the weekend. I treated him to dinner on Friday night at a local farm-to-table restaurant, where we ordered way too much delicious food and returned home stuffed. I was so excited by the birthday gifts I had picked out for Zack, that I had him open everything up when we got home (it may have included new skis and new tools for our home bar). He didn't seem excited as he opened things in our living room, and I was a little bummed. When I asked if he liked everything, he said he was just a bit distracted, and offered to get me a glass of water from the kitchen. He brought his backpack into the kitchen (he also had brought it to dinner, which seemed weird), but I just thought he was putting his lunch away or something. He returned with water, but then got down on one knee and stated all he really wanted for his birthday was to spend forever with me. I was speechless as I tried to take it all in and remember everything (as I've heard everyone forgets what is said during a proposal). Apparently I said yes when he was talking, but he didn't hear me. He finished speaking and looked at me expectantly, so I said yes again to his visible relief!

The COVID-19 pandemic certainly interfered with our original plan to be married in September 2020. We took time to think about our options and talked with our families. We ultimately decided that no matter what, we wanted to be married in 2020! Plan A turned to Plan B...C... I swear we were at Q... but we did it! In an intimate ceremony with our closest family, abiding by the state pandemic restrictions, Zack and Kelsey were married on July 25, 2020. It was beautiful and better than we had planned and we were thrilled! However, we still wanted to celebrate the way we originally planned, so we will be celebrating our marriage and enjoying our wedding reception this year on September 11, 2021.