Chapter 1: Cheeseman Park & Retrograde On their first date they took a long walk through Cheeseman Park, enjoying colorful October and crisp fall air, the kind of conversation that makes you forget to stop. Reed then raised the bar with Retrograde—an ice-cream-freezer-turned-speakeasy—where time slipped by unnoticed. They left with the same quiet certainty: “I finally found someone I actually want to spend time with.” Chapter 2: Date Two A few weeks later came date two—and yes, Alyona briefly ghosted. When they met again, it was at an Italian restaurant (their forever favorite). One bottle of wine became hours of honest conversation—goals, values, the big questions people usually postpone. Chapter 3: Movie Night After a few reschedules, Reed got the message: “Take me to a movie.” He showed up with flowers on a snowy night. The movie was highly suggestive (“Anora” if you’ve seen it). Afterward, their first kiss in falling snow. Chapter 4: Breckenridge, Beau Jo’s, RiNo The next day: opening day in Breckenridge. Reed (plus two friends) “kidnapped” Alyona for a full day on the mountain. On the way home: Beau Jo’s in Idaho Springs—mountain pizza with honey on the crust. That night: a Vintage Culture show in RiNo, and somewhere between snow, music, and laughter, they made it official. Chapter 5: Atlanta Alyona joined Reed in Atlanta for his company Christmas party, and they turned the week into an adventure—friends, late nights, and a surreal Clermont moment with Jordan. Then brunch at Del Bar: Alyona meeting the whole crew at once. It stopped feeling like two separate lives. It started feeling shared. Chapter 6: Moving In By June, “your place” and “my place” had blurred. Alyona moved in, and the house changed—cleaner, yes, but more importantly: warmer. They jumped into renovations together and learned that building a home is also building a life. Chapter 7: Camping 2025 Camping 2025 was a three-part comedy of errors: Trip 1: a twisted ankle before camp, tire trouble, Moab sandstorms, and a tent zipper held together by hair ties. Trip 2: Rabbit Valley dirtbiking—Alyona flipped an ATV within five minutes, walked away with a scratch, and kept riding. Trip 3: four hours west, a snack stop, and the realization they forgot to reload the dry box with all the camping gear. They turned around 13 miles later… and it was gone. No witnesses, no cameras, no evidence. They drove four hours home and called it. None of it pushed them apart. It made them laugh harder and trust deeper. Chapter 8: Summer Two nights of Pretty Lights in Buena Vista: unreal music, festival camping, new friends, core memories. In July: a full week with Reed’s parents in Glenwood Springs—hot springs, hikes, Palisade wineries, and the Fourth of July parade in Aspen. Chapter 9: Fall Virginia for his niece’s first birthday: Alyona met Reed’s family, saw where he grew up, and met his high school friends. In October, they celebrated Alyona’s birthday in Atlanta and attended Jay and Lucy’s wedding—both thinking, “When is it our turn?” Reed started planning. Chapter 10: San Francisco San Francisco was meant to be an anniversary trip, plus a Monterey half marathon along the ocean. Behind the scenes, Reed and Alyona’s best friend Anastasiia planned a surprise. Reed “went to rent a motorcycle,” but actually spent the morning scouting proposal spots with a photographer and florist, finally choosing a northern viewpoint of the Golden Gate. Anastasiia handled the distraction—coffee, a quick work session, a casual stop that wasn’t casual at all. Then Alyona saw it. She cried. Reed asked. Alyona said YES. The Beginning Their story was built through long talks before the first kiss, snowstorms and mountain days, camping chaos and renovation dust, and the choice to show up again and again. It’s theirs. And now, it’s forever.