Liah had only been in Colorado for five months when she met Colton on June 20, 2023, at Washington Park. It was the first summer park day hosted by our church's young adults group—and the first one either had attended. We met during a game of ultimate frisbee, where Colton, not knowing her name, shouted things like “Tiny Tim” and “Chicken Little.” For reasons still unclear, Liah found it hilarious. That moment sparked a fast friendship full of playful banter, which slowly turned into flirting… and then something much more. With a tight-knit group of friends, we did it all—park days, movie nights, swing dancing, spontaneous road trips, even skydiving. The more we did together, the more we wanted to keep doing life side by side. Now, we’re getting married—two best friends choosing forever.

“My big thing is, I just want it to be a surprise.” And indeed it was. Colton and I had been talking about getting engaged for a while and we had already gone ring shopping, so I knew the day would be coming soon. Even still, I had no idea it would be on Saturday, May 24th at Washington Park - at the exact spot we first met two years ago (he’s so romantic - I love it). A couple days before, Colton told me he wanted to take me out on a date to hike the Manitou Incline on Memorial Day. I thought it was suspicious and was thinking perhaps he might propose at the top of the mountain, but I didn't want to get my hopes up or spoil the surprise in my mind, so I pushed that thought aside. That being said, my housemates and I decided to stay in on Friday and have a movie night & paint our nails. Brooke told me she had a new gel kit I could use if I wanted, so I went upstairs to check it out and when I came back down I was like - “Oh, this is a good brand! My mom has Olive & June.” Little did I know my mom had made a special delivery to drop it off the day before so I could have my nails painted for the proposal. As she was painting my nails, I told her to put an extra layer on my ring finger “just in case he proposes” - thinking the hike on Monday was a real possibility. The next day was a normal Saturday for me and I didn’t suspect a thing. I decided to volunteer that morning before we met up with some friends to have a park day - which wasn’t uncommon for us to do. However, I didn’t want my car to be sitting out in the open all day so I decided to go home, grab some food, and carpool up with my housemates. When we got there, a few friends were setting up the volleyball net, playing spikeball, and messing around with each other. We played a couple rounds of volleyball when Colt decided to join in. During one of the games, Josh served the ball and Colt ended up diving for it. I went to go help him up and that’s when it happened… When I pulled him up, he was in a kneeling position. Everything was suddenly quiet except for the sound of his voice. At first I was confused and just thought he was being sweet and making sentimental statements (he’s such a sweetheart, so that wouldn’t be abnormal)…but then he pulled something out and said “these aren’t earbuds”. And that’s when it hit me. The craziest feeling ever. It felt like time itself had stopped to watch as he asked me to marry him. I was so overwhelmed with joy and excitement knowing I’m going to spend the rest of my life with the man I love the most…I just couldn’t help but break down in tears! Which is absolutely crazy because I’ve never cried happy tears before! But man, I felt like I was on cloud nine and for that special moment, everything around us just disappeared. It was just me and him and the love we shared. As he spun me around and put me down, he told me to look over into the distance. That’s when I saw my mom and dad with my best friend, Jamie, walking towards us and I absolutely lost it. It was such a sweet moment and I was so surprised to see them all! Like I said earlier: “My big thing is, I just want it to be a surprise.” And without a doubt, this proposal was the best surprise ever. I didn’t suspect a single thing that day! Afterwards, we enjoyed some delicious food and dessert, and later on Colt and I went over to sit under a tree. That’s when he pulled out his phone and showed me the sweetest video he had made for me earlier that morning. It was such a beautiful day, and I’m so grateful for all the friends and family who have loved and supported us from the beginning. I cannot wait to marry the love of my life - my wonderful fiancé, Colton.

After months of intricate and detailed planning, the day had finally arrived... Perhaps that's a bit of an exaggeration. It was more like... a couple of days of planning. See, I had always known that I wanted to propose where I had first met her; however, keeping it a surprise was proving to be quite a challenge. Fortunately, my friend had been hosting park days every few weekends, setting a usable precedent. Memorial Day was arriving, which gave me a plausible day for misdirection. I told her we should do a “romantic” hike on Memorial Day Monday. With her eyes on Monday, I quickly cobbled together a plan for the surprise engagement. The success of my plan relied on the participation of both friends and family. After a couple of days of frantic phone calls and finalizing logistics, the day arrived: Saturday, May 24th. After weeks of daily looking at the ring... I was finally going to give it to her. That day Liah was volunteering at the soup kitchen in Denver, which gave me the opportunity to inconspicuously scout out the location for where I would propose, stage family/friends, and have my older sister hiding to take the pictures. I was able to claim the EXACT location on the field where we first met nearly two years prior... it was all coming together perfectly. Brooke kept me updated on Liah's timeline, as they would be carpooling to the park. I anxiously checked every 30 seconds to be sure that I still had the ring, which was in my earbuds case clipped to my belt loop. We were setting up the volleyball net when Liah arrived. I kept it cool and casual on the exterior, even though I was buzzing internally. I was concerned that the butterflies in my stomach would make me jump suspiciously high during the game. I had Robert queue the song that, once ended, would indicate to those involved that the proposal was imminent. Jacob and Joshua Gevara prepared to start filming the moment I initiated the proposal. Josh expertly served an errant ball that allowed me to make a dramatic dive. Once on the ground, I had Liah give me a hand up... into the kneeling position. At this point, the world stopped turning, and the proposal lines I had practiced over and over decided to exit my mind and take a vacation. I looked at her, trying to find my tongue, and when I did, it was tied. After what felt like minutes, I began to deliver my lines... incorrectly. So I restarted, and thankfully this time, I got it right. The moment of realization on Liah's face is one that I'll not soon forget. Her confusion, shock, excitement - all culminating in joyful tears - swelled my heart to the point of bursting. As I put the ring on her finger and picked her up into a spinning hug, Robert played 5 Leaf Clover on the speaker. With friends cheering, I set her down to direct her attention to incoming family members and her longtime best friend, Jamie, who Liah’s mom had overnight-shipped from California. Liah doubled over with emotion, and I was thrilled beyond measure. The plan was executed flawlessly and Liah never suspected a thing. I couldn't have done it without everybody involved: starting with Kharim creating the decoy sports day; Jacob Gevara racing around town to purchase a volleyball net; Brooke providing real-time Liah location updates; Robert managing the songs; Jacob and Josh capturing the moment on video; my older sister Leandra capturing the moment from the trees with her camera; Liah's mom flying in Jamie (and also providing food and drinks); and all the friends who were there to support and love both Liah and me. It truly was a magnificent day, and I couldn't be more excited to now enter into a lifelong commitment to my darling fiancée, Liah.

If we had to sum up our relationship in one word it would be: GRATITUDE. Grateful for each other and the way God brought us together in His perfect timing. Grateful for the friends, family, and mentors who poured into our relationship since the beginning. And most importantly, grateful for all of you who have decided to come alongside us and celebrate as we step into this next season of life and this beautiful, holy thing called marriage! As we look back on our journey, cherish this moment, and dream of what’s to come, our hearts are overflowing with joy and deep gratitude. God has been so good and gracious to us, and we pray for His hand to be over our marriage and over this special day. Thank you for celebrating with us and being a part of our story! With love, Colton & Liah