I met Shalisa 13 years ago. We had just opened The Jet Hotel in Downtown Denver and she was interviewing for a job. As time rolled on we kept in touch on Facebook and when we would run into each other from time to time. About 3 years ago, Shalisa and her business partner, Mish, asked me to come teach a workshop to their employees at Pure Barre in Boulder. We hadn’t seen each other in a while and it seemed very different from the last time we had been around each other. The energy was different. About a month later I saw her at a Christmas party and the next day I awkwardly asked her to dinner. Somehow, she said yes. The date quickly turned into something really fun and special and it was one of those amazing moments where everything changed in an instant. We went from individuals, not at all looking to get involved in anything serious, to a couple where everything seemed to line up. What’s the saying? “It’s difficult until it is easy.” I think for both of us, there was no anxiety, it just seemed so natural to be together and no real thought was there as far as “what are we, or what are we doing?” It just seemed to flow really well. We were simply together and it seemed exactly as it was supposed to be. I think in every way the two of us have found the partner we always wanted and didn’t imagine we would find. The partner who is supportive of what we want to accomplish, the partner who is accepting and open to who we each are and the partner that is equally excited about our lives together. A year and a half into our relationship, I asked Shalisa to marry me at the top of Aspen mountain and she said “yes!” A few months later we had this crazy idea to put together a festival dedicated to love and commitment, and went on a search to find other like minded couples to join us. I guess you can say…the best is yet to come!