Let's celebrate!

Mike had gotten back from an Ireland trip and was going to go out to beers with his longtime friend/co-worker Marcia. Right before they were meeting Marcia called and asked if he minded if her friend Melissa came along, as she enjoyed travel and would also like to hear about Ireland and catch up. As their evening was coming to an end; Melissa said that she had a co-worker that she thought he would really get along with, and asked if he’d be up for it. While Mike was never a fan of setups like these, for some reason he had a feeling and decided to trust his gut that said go for it. When Mike and Ashley started texting she was about to go home for Thanksgiving so they had to push off their plans, but they started planning as soon as she got back. While she canceled their first day (she claimed to be sick) he was persistent and eventually they met out for dinner. From there it was a whirlwind adventure! One thing they both found interesting is they always valued their own space, but after 3 weeks they never spent a night apart.

Ashley and Mike planned on going to Aspen for the day because Ashley loves the Maroon Bells (and any excuse to go to the mountains), then back to Breckenridge for the weekend in memory of her parents. Along the way, they decided to revisit the Aspen Grottos. They had visited there a couple of years ago with their puppies and wanted to re-explore the area with some new freedom. They hiked most of the trail when Mike decided "This is the perfect opportunity!" He ran back to the trail head to grab the ring while Ashley kept exploring along the water. Of course, in the meantime, Ashley made her way to a rock in the middle of the water so Mike met her out there (even though his one piece of advice was not to propose near water so he wouldn't drop and lose the ring). It was the most perfect proposal, even with Ashley dropping and almost losing one of her other rings immediately after!

Another perfect day for the books! Ashley and Mike decided to get married on the 19th as Mike's birthday is two months later on the nineteenth. They took the day off of work and went to Golden, Colorado to technically get married in the mountains. After everything was finalized, they went to a nice lunch in celebration. They had plans of grandeur in the evening to continue the celebration, but ultimately went home, changed into comfy clothes, and cuddled on the couch watching movies - one of their favorite things to do together.