December 7th, 2021, at The Penrose on the Upper East Side of New York City. That is where this all began. We matched on Hinge and decided to meet up for a drink. Max was proud of himself for scoring a reservation only to learn they were for groups of 6+ only. Shelby internally laughed as they stood there awkwardly waiting for a table. The night progressed and both of us left feeling intrigued and excited. On our second date, we spent the full day walking Central Park and playing games at a bar. Shelby was impressed with Max's ski ball shooting and Max was equally as impressed by Shelby's ring game tosses. That night, Max's beloved Colts beat their archrival Patriots for the first time in twelve years-- a sign from the football gods that Shelby was special. By date three, after waiting nearly two weeks to see each other again, we were smitten. Our love grew stronger as we got to know each others passions, friends and family members. We began to build a life together based on mutual respect, appreciation, shared values, kindness, love and a lot of really really good food. After two years in the city, we decided to trade skyscrapers for mountains and made the cross country move to Denver. We quickly fell in love with weekend hiking, cooking in a real (not apartment sized) kitchen, 300 days of sun, and building an adventure-filled life together. Then, this past May, Shelby went on what she thought was just a normal hike in Roxborough State Park with her two visiting best friends. Midway through the hike, Max popped out from behind a bush and into an open meadow. When she stumbled upon him, and finally made sense of what was happening, there were happy tears, a proposal, family members emerging from trees, and a very big yes. Now, over four years later, we're ready for our biggest adventure yet! We can't wait to celebrate this next adventure with you all and we're so grateful to each and every one of you for being part of our special day in August. With love, Max and Shelby