Zach & I actually met in Noatak, Alaska, the place we now call home. I was on an ONU Ecology trip to Alaska with Zach's grandpa as my professor. We went to Noatak to do our field research and that's when I met Zach. I remember thinking he was handsome and had a little mystery to him but did not think much of it. Zach thought I was cute and seemed very caring. Zach traveled the rest of the trip with our group and we got to know each other much better. My friends kept pointing out that he always seemed to be near me, I shrugged it off and ignorantly denied it. The last night of our trip, I got a surprise knock at my door from a cute man asking for my number. Fast forward a few phone calls later that week- yes, that same week, Zach flew from Oklahoma to Illinois to take me on our first of many dates .. &that is how it all began.

Zach & I went skiing for the day at Alyeska Ski Resort. We skied all day and in the afternoon we took a break to take the tram to the top of the mountain for an afternoon meal/snack. When we went to look out at the view from the top, Zach got down on one knee with a beautiful ring that reminded me of my mom's, proposed and I said YES! When we went back inside to get a cup of hot chocolate, Zach sat me down and showed me a video compiled of clips of many of our loved ones on both sides, congratulating us and sending us all the love. There were many tears! He did good!