It all started in July of 2022. Anthony had been in Fort Collins since December 2019, and Mandy had just moved there in June. After a day of hiking, she wandered into a local watering hole to sit at the bar and chat with folks, and very quickly noticed Anthony. She told Shannon, the bartender, that she thought he was cute, and she swiftly spread the word to his friends. It wasn't long before they were sitting next to each other and quickly realized that they were mortal enemies (she being a KU girl and he being a Mizzou guy). After several hours of talking, he offered to walk her home as it was now after dark. They traded numbers and she told him that she was not interested in anything romantic until she got more settled in her new town, which he was ok with. Over the next several months, a close friendship bloomed (even though they were both nursing serious crushes on each other). In November, they acknowledged that they had feelings for each other, and by December Anthony officially asked Mandy to be his girlfriend after the KU/Mizzou basketball game (KU completely crushed Mizzou, just sayin'). The next year and a half was filled with fun and adventure, as they both trained for races, traveled together to see friends & family, and started to talk about building a life together. In May 2024, Anthony surprised Mandy with a trip to Lawrence KS to spend her birthday with friends. The day after her birthday, he surprised her again in their Airbnb with a beautiful, hand-crafted paper ring (from the Taylor Swift song) and a proposal. They had previously discussed marriage in the future, but Mandy still had to ask "is this for real??" (it was!) We are both so grateful to have a loving, supportive group of family and friends... we can't wait to share our happiness with you and start the next chapter of our lives together!