We met on St. Patrick's Day on a rooftop bar in Denver. Alyssa was still living in Madison, WI and was visiting her good friends Darian, Adam, and Danny, while Justin traveled from Wyoming to spend the holiday with Clancy and Tyler. Justin was instantly intrigued by Alyssa's shenanigans (food coloring and all) and then the journey began.

Alyssa bought her house and moved to Denver in May 2020. Justin had just finished two house flips in Riverton and was planning his move to Longmont. We spent our summer and fall hiking, camping with Maverick, followed by a winter road trip (skiing and rock climbing included) in Lucy (Alyssa's Wrangler) across Colorado, Utah, Nevada, California, and Arizona. We spent the next few years hiking 20 of Colorado's 14k foot mountains, weekend ski trips across the west, and in April 2023 we adopted our GSP mix puppy Rooster.

In November 2023, we drove to Wyoming to spend Thanksgiving with Justin's family. Justin had told Alyssa that the next morning we'd be taking a weekend trip to Driggs, Idaho for a bull sale, but could make a stop in Jackson (one of our favorite places) along the way. As we drove through Jackson and along the Tetons, Justin pulled over the car and said we should jump out to take a picture because of how beautiful the mountains were in the snow. We found a spot with another car and Justin asked the woman to take our photo. She snapped one Justin's phone, then told us she was actually a photographer and would take one on her camera to share with us. As she did, Justin got down on one knee and Alyssa completely blacked out. After the engagement, we went back into town and the town center was doing their annual Christmas tree lighting, with music and events all around. We ended the night at the Million Dollar Cowboy, and then a weekend at the Four Seasons. It was the best day of our lives!

Our shared love of travel has been one of the most exciting parts of our relationship. We've spent time together in 26 states, 16 countries and 5 continents. In May 2024 we packed our bags (and of course Mav and Roo) in Northglenn and headed across the globe to be expats in Melbourne, Australia. We've been slowly building our life and community here but can't wait to return to the states in September to celebrate with our family and friends.