We can't wait to celebrate with you!

James was invited to a BBQ at Mary's house in Vail by their mutual friend Jay. The party was a way for Mary and her bff/roommate Colleen to meet new people and enjoy the summer weather. The majority of the evening was spent with Mary being a social butterfly and James trying in vain to light a bonfire with wet logs. The whole story might have ended there, but James mentioned he had a big, fluffy, Golden Retriever named Odie. There was a fair amount of pursuing that followed, (you can guess who pursued who...) and the rest is history. James did eventually have to break it to Mary that if she wanted Odie, she would have to take him too. But seriously, they've lived in different towns, states, and on different continents, but always knew it would be worth the effort.

The time came when Odie told James he needed to ask Mary to be his forever mom. So James and Odie grabbed their friend Austin (and his camera), packed their backpacks and headed up the mountain. James, Odie and Austin skinned up Vail Mountain starting at 6:00am to surprise Mary at the top. Mary's friend Tracy was in on the whole thing and convinced her to come to Vail for a weekend of girl time and skiing. When they got on the mountain that day, Tracy suggested they hike to the top of Ptarmigan Ridge and check out the view. When they got to the top, Odie ran out to greet them and James got down on one knee. After some celebratory champagne and phone calls with family they got to ski down the mountain together. It was unforgettable!!