Once in a lifetime, you meet someone who changes everything!

We met online just after our twenty first birthdays. Kylee sent the very first message, asking how life at the Colorado School of Mines was, and that one simple question immediately caught Kodi’s attention. After a few weeks of talking, Kodi finally found the courage to ask Kylee on a date. Before saying yes, Kylee used her job with the Mines football program to look him up in the student database, check his grades, and talk it over with her mom. Only then did she officially agree. During winter break, Kodi drove all the way from Colorado Springs to pick Kylee up at her parents house. Our first date was unforgettable. We ate dinner at Los Dos Portrillos, then let our inner kids run wild at the Civic Center Park playground. Christmas lights were part of that first night too, which became a surprisingly important theme in our relationship. We ended the evening watching movies in Kylee’s parents basement. Yes, Kodi met the parents on the very first date. He did not leave until two in the morning because we were having so much fun. The rest of winter break was filled with long FaceTime calls, sometimes lasting until Kylee’s mom was leaving for work. Once we were back at school, we were inseparable. We went to the gym together, hung out every night, and spent every weekend together. When Kylee’s roommates had to quarantine for Covid, she basically moved in with Kodi and the boys for a few weeks, although it did not feel very different from our normal routine. That summer, Kodi returned home to Colorado Springs and Kylee went back to Highlands Ranch for internships. We spent every weekend driving back and forth to see each other. Senior year made us even closer. Kylee brought Kodi to every school activity and all of his roommates came along too, usually teasing him for being so head over heels. After graduation, Kylee started working in Boulder with Fanatics and Kodi found a job in Longmont with Maxar. We moved in together right after graduation and began our life in the same home. Kodi’s schedule during that first year and a half was very difficult, with late nights, early mornings, and very few weekends free, but we made it through together. In September 2024, Kodi accepted a new job in South Denver with Lockheed Martin, and soon after, we moved to Littleton. Kylee was thrilled that Kodi finally had a normal schedule and that we were only twenty minutes from her parents. After another year of living together, we decided to take the next step and brought home our chocolate lab, Copper. Her name came from Copper Mountain, where we had our first official date as boyfriend and girlfriend. With two working parents and no kids, Copper quickly became the most spoiled member of the family. As another Christmas season arrived, Christmas lights once again became part of our story. Kodi had been planning something special with Kylee’s mom. After dropping Copper off at the grandparents house, we went to The Keg, the same restaurant where Kodi had asked Kylee to be his girlfriend almost four years earlier. After a wonderful dinner, we drove around to look at Christmas lights before heading back to pick up Copper. But Kodi took what seemed like a wrong turn and brought us to Civic Center Park, the place where we had our very first date. Under a Christmas tree with music playing, Kodi got down on one knee and asked Kylee to spend every next step of life together. Kylee said the easiest yes of her life. Our families came out of hiding and we celebrated with cake. It was the perfect night. Now, a year later, Copper is a little bigger and full of energy, our house continues to feel more like a home, and we are more in love than ever.