Our love story began on an auspicious night (Valentine's Day!) at Colgate University in 2013. During an otherwise "everyday" social event with friends, Brian was immediately struck by Louisa's radiant red hair, and arranged for an introduction from a mutual friend. The two quickly became enamored with each other, and spent the next several months sharing their love of pizza, dancing, West Wing and life. Louisa was graduating in a few months and Brian was committed to two more years in a dark basement physics lab. However, these two recognized that they shared something special. That semester, they spent as much time together as they could, and never spoke of Louisa's upcoming graduation (only to be referred to by the codeword "bagel" - true West Wing fans understand!). Luckily, both were able to connive their way into staying on campus for the summer and resolved to stay committed to each other no matter what came next. The following years saw many hours of long drives, train rides, audiobooks and FaceTime calls between Colgate, Washington, D.C., Connecticut, Montreal and New York. This chapter of their relationship culminated in - at long last - an epic U-Haul roadtrip to move in together in New York City.

In November, Brian "spontaneously" suggested that he and Louisa "take a relaxing day off" from the rush of New York. On their walk to "brunch," Brian carefully maneuvered Louisa through nearby Carl Schurz Park and paused on the same spot from which Louisa had called her parents and officially decided to move to New York with Brian. Louisa looked a bit concerned when Brian told her "We're not going to brunch," and she frantically demanded, "What are we doing!?" After forcing out the first 10 words of a carefully rehearsed speech, Brian decided actions speak louder. He got down on one knee to say the four most important words: "Will you marry me?" which were met with Louisa's enthusiastic "OF COURSE!" After a short stroll through the park as a newly engaged couple, they returned to their apartment for one more surprise. When Louisa opened the door, she found her parents - secretly arrived from Idaho! - waiting with Brian’s parents to congratulate the newly engaged couple! Louisa, Brian and their families spent the rest of the magical day together in New York, celebrating their love and looking forward to the future.

We cannot wait to share this beautiful place with you. It's both a historic mountain oasis and an important part of our family history! Our connection to Sun Valley began with Louisa’s parents, Ron and Courtney, who are Idaho natives. Sun Valley was where they skied in the '70s, where they got married in the '80s, and where little Louisa learned to ski in the '90s! Finally, in the 2010s, the Jelacos settled in Sun Valley, making it their year-round home. After a tumultuous 2020, we will add another chapter to our Sun Valley story on October 3rd 2021, and cannot wait for you to be a part of writing it! (Finally!)