It was July 2018. Dave was back in Boulder in-between 2 stints of work travel to the Arctic. Amanda was preparing for a trip to Senegal. A mutual friend brought Dave to the Rio in Boulder for some late afternoon libations. There, over rooftop margaritas in the sunshine and the shadows of our beautiful mountains, we met for the first time – or so we thought. We had a fun time that eve, heading out with the group to the Bitter Bar for more socializing after Rio margaritas. We said goodnight and that was that. A few days later, the same mutual friend let Dave know that Amanda was having a party at her place. And we met up again that night. A few more days passed and Dave received a text from an unknown number asking him to a Yoga-Tango class. Yes, classic Amanda. The timing may not have worked out that night, but our stars aligned on September 11, 2018. When we sat down to dinner that night at Via Perla, we had no idea how connected we already were. As the night wore on, we realized we’d been at the same parties, trail races, and various other social gatherings over a period of time spanning more than a decade. Dating back to at least 2007, we had both coached for Fast Forward Sports, we both ran the Imogene Pass Run in 2007, we were both at the Delman-Fairchild wedding in 2014. Boulder is a place for fun adventure and small world meetings. Over three hours later, we closed the restaurant. The goodbye that night was difficult, but it ended up being a pleasant transition to the future. To say it was a great first date would be an understatement. Why? Because here we are in 2021 about to get married.

Dave: Upon reaching the shoreline of the Bora Bora airport on Monday, July 1, 2019, I was invigorated and nervous. A tropical storm thousands of miles away was creating some windy weather, though this was not the cause for my nerves. It was this beautiful woman I was with. This was the day I was planning on popping “the” question. We had spent the previous few days on the lesser-known island of Huahine. The first day we were there, we browsed a local shop called The Pearl Treehouse where Amanda - knowingly or not - picked out part of her engagement present: a unique pair of pearl earrings. I also spotted the ring, but I couldn’t get her out of the store. I waited until Sunday when we arrived back to the hotel about 3:00; I had an hour to buy the ring. I anxiously made my way back to the Treehouse. They were closed – Sundays in the Islands. Monday morning as the airport taxi waited and Amanda stalled the driver, I made the purchase at 10am as soon as they opened. We still made the flight. As we settled into our overwater bungalow in Bora Bora, the champagne was chilled and the moment was right. I presented, knelt down on one knee, and asked Amanda to marry me. Amanda: I did not see it coming. I had just gotten out of the warm cerulean waters exploring the local sea life surrounding our bungalow. Dave handed me a towel and asked me to sit down. My throat closed up. Then he asked the question I thought I’d never be asked: “Amanda McCracken, will you marry me?” “Is this really happening? Right now?” I asked. He waited. For a split second I considered jumping back into the security of the water and then I looked up at Dave and saw the man I’d waited for my whole life. The answer bubbled up, “Yes, of course.” Dave popped the champagne and we both took a moment to breathe and reflect on what had just happened. That evening we celebrated aboard a sunset cruise on a solar-powered catamaran and wondered, “What's next?”

You're marrying the *same* person three times? Yup! In August we started planning a small wedding for October in Fairfield, Ohio (Amanda's hometown) so that her grandmas (soon to be 94 and 101 years old) and Dave's mom (soon to be 85) could attend. We were fairly certain that at their ages it would be difficult for them to travel to Colorado for a big wedding the following summer. In September, however, Amanda's Grandma Velda fell ill with pneumonia. She seemed to recover and was sent to rehab, but then it became clear that the pneumonia had triggered a worse enemy: congestive heart failure. Grandma Velda was rushed back to the hospital on September 18th and two days later Dave and Amanda held a small wedding ceremony at her bedside where she delivered a beautiful prayer to bless their marriage. Grandma Velda passed away only three days later. The ceremony on September 20th will forever be remembered as a great metaphor for love and loss--a reminder of the time limited arrangement we have with those we love. On October 11th, we held wedding ceremony number two in Fairfield, Ohio---a small gathering of family and close local friends. Grandma Nancy delivered her toast and both of our mom's read passages. Now we prepare for wedding ceremony number three with all of you, in the place where we've both found home: Colorado.