Gallery
In 2019, the story of Zoë and Nels unfolded against the scenic backdrop of New Mexico.
Zoë, embarking on her PhD in the Earth and Environmental Science Dept. at New Mexico Tech, was just adding hunting to her repertoire of outdoor pursuits.
Nels, having earned his PhD in 2017, was a postdoc at the adjacent New Mexico Bureau of Geology.
Their paths had crossed before, at a fitness class and work events, but it was an email from Nels inviting Zoë to join him on the first day of spring turkey season that set the stage for a next chapter.
One crisp April morning, beneath a blanket of predawn stars, Zoë and Nels embarked towards the misty Magdalena mountains. Armed with shotguns, sporting nervous smiles, they had no inkling of the importance this day would carry. Fear not...this isn't the prologue to a mystery novel; nor were any turkeys harmed that day. Instead, it marked the beginning of the wonderful mystery that is two people, falling in love.
Casual walk through the woods...
(We took our engagement photos in the same spot in the Magdalena mountains that we hunted our first "date")
Turn Around, Bright Eyes [an Annular Eclipse of the Heart!]
Magdalena Mountains, annular eclipse day 2023
Spring Turkey Season 2020 death march (it was very hot) along the Rio Grande
Nels' 1st long beard (2021 spring turkey)
Zoë's 2023 turkey, and time together in the turkey blind.
First Christmas on the Palouse (2019)
Snowshoeing in WA over Christmas Break 2021
Ice Skating Spokane WA 2022 (little did Zoë know Nels would pop the question in 5 days)
Nels proposed Christmas Day 2022 on Kamiak Butte near his hometown of Palouse, WA.
River of love (a.k.a. Zoë rowing Nels all ~80 miles down the San Juan River)
Gates of Lodore (Colorado and Utah) rafting trip 2021
HOT (B)ass camp on the Grand Canyon during our 16 day rafting trip in 2022.
Aloha Friday on the San Juan river
Kayaking the shores of Lake Michigan, where Zoë spent most her summers growing up.
Ferry to San Juan Islands WA on Zoë's first visit to the coast. The Iversons have spent lots of time in the Puget Sound all of Nels' life.
Maui Sunset 2021 (Zoë was in her quarter-life crisis blonde hair era)
Salmon fishing on the Skagit River in Mount Vernon, WA, just outside Nels' grandmother Nadine Larson's house.
Beers after striking out finding Barbary Sheep with Zoë's dad Jeff Havlena in Lincoln, NM (2021)
Right before she said....get the hell off of my boat! (San Juan trip 2021)
Nels' 2023 Quebradas Mule Deer (Zoë spotted all of the deer and was nice enough to let Nels go after it)
Zoë's once-in-a-lifetime on White Sands Missile Range oryx with bridesmaid Mackenzie and two Jeff's(2021)
Left to right: Jeff Best, Mac Best, Nels, Jeff Havlena, Zoë
Fishing off the Maui shore
Nels did his undergrad in Hawaii and introduced Zoë to the ocean.
Late season elk camp, in style.
For all the days along the way
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