Hey, we did it!

Noah and I met in the Kirby Ballroom at his undergraduate college, the University of Minnesota Duluth, the same place we will be getting married! Noah had been going to the UMD Swing Dance Club for over a year, but I had only just found out about the club from my good friend Rachel. To this day, she has full credit for being the reason Noah and I met. It is common etiquette in the social dancing community to dance with everyone at least once, so I was not too surprised when Noah asked me to dance. He remembers thinking it was funny when I said the jazz phrase, "I dig it," and that I asked a lot of questions. I remember thinking he was a great dancer! After a few more weeks of dancing, Noah asked me on a date!

I met Tayler three times at the UMD Swing Dancing Club before asking her out. I was a little surprised with myself for asking in the first place, though Tayler often tells me that I came off as "too smooth." I was even more surprised and thankful when she said yes! We chose to go to brunch at Uncle Loui's Cafe in downtown Duluth, despite my roommates at the time making fun of me by telling me going to brunch was "too old school." It ended up being the right choice because Tayler is an old soul who was thrilled with the idea. After brunch, we extended the date by going for a walk on the Lakewalk and the rest is history!

When Noah first pitched the idea of us doing our first 14'er, I admit I was skeptical. For those unfamiliar, Colorado has 58 mountain peaks exceeding 14,000 feet in elevation, known more commonly as "fourteeners." We had done several mountain hikes since moving to Colorado but Gray's Peak would take significantly longer, include substantial elevation gain, and would be our most challenging hike yet. We started our hike before sunrise at 5am and saw so many beautiful sights along the way. We watched the sun rise over the mountains, saw all kinds of critters including marmots, and several mountain goats hiked along side us at different points. I admit I suggested to Noah multiple times that we turn around because this was way above our skill level and "No one would know!" In retrospect, I see why Noah was so insistent we make it to the top. Once at the summit of the mountain, Noah got down on one knee! His proposal was beautiful, referencing the stories we shared with you here as well as many others we shared in the five years leading up to this point. Some nearby hikers noticed what was happening and started singing, "Can't Help Falling in Love," and playing the Ukulele! And as you all can guess, I said yes! Thank you so much for joining us on our journey and we can't wait to see you on our special day <3