Ahh New Years Eve, the evening that is typically overhyped, overrated, and overpriced. Full of sparkly outfits, champagne bubbly, and the New Years kiss. Luckily for both of us, New Years Eve 2015 we decided to opt out on anything extravagant. Kyle was in town from California hanging out with old friends in Fairfax and Sarah was in DC with college friends. Both our nights were uneventful, sharing some drinks and laughs surrounded by good people. Little did we know, we’d soon meet each other. For context, Kyle and Sarah both grew up and went to high school and college in Northern Virginia. Everyone knows its a small world, where social circles stay the same but grow throughout high school, college and professional life. It is a rare occurrence when going out with friends that there was someone in the group that you didn't know or hadn’t already met. After the ball dropped Kyle and his friends met up with Sarah and her friends for an after party. Miraculously, despite both attending George Mason and having the same social circle, Sarah and Kyle had never met before. Immediately they gravitated towards one another and the spark that would ignite the fire began over pizza, beers, and the Netflix series “Making a Murderer”.

It was on an adventure of a lifetime, exploring the Alaskan wilderness on an epic land+sea Alaskan cruise vacation (booked thru Costco). The adventures consisted of Denali wilderness tours, a glass-domed train through mountains and meadows, and cruising the Alaskan coast checking into ports and checking out massive glaciers along the way. Each destination had a special adventure planned, such as a Cessna plane ride into the fjords where a grizzly bear mom and cubs were spotted. But it was the stop in Juneau where those Alaska adventures would become lifelong adventures. The original plan got canceled due to inclement weather, but the alternative was an even greater adventure. Plans changed to an airboat ride racing the icy currents and reaching out to touch the edges of nearby glaciers, followed by a helicopter ride landing on the Norris glacier for a quick hike on the icy surface. When Kyle found the perfect spot nearby a glacial stream, Kyle got down on one knee, and asked Sarah for her hand in marriage. She enthusiastically answered, “Yes!” Back in town they were greeted by an ecstatic Lewis family, and went to a local coffee shop where the news spread fast and we were treated to a cup of coffee and celebratory cheers. We're so excited to celebrate this next chapter in our lives with you. See you in Maryland!