Our Story

Nathan and I first met for lunch nearly three years ago — October 16, 2023, to be exact. We originally planned to eat at a cute Thai place, but in typical Nathan fashion (although that was unbeknownst to me at the time), he realized our first choice was closed on Mondays, so we had to pivot. We landed on Café 13, which is an adorable breakfast and lunch spot just off the main drag in Golden.

Both of us were in a "keep-it-casual" mode, so our meeting was really just for fun. Well, we met at noon, and over three hours later, Café 13 had to kick us out because they were closing. To say we immediately hit it off is like saying the Titanic had a "small leak."

Nathan didn't know it, but I was quite taken before we even met. His smooth demeanor as we navigated a last-minute location change was impressive (I know, it doesn't take much), and our conversation was free-flowing and incredibly interesting.

We made plans for date two as Nathan walked me to my car. And while we played it cool, we were both hooked. We began seeing one another regularly, and within months we were fighting to not admit to one another that we were in love.

Nathan had a trip to Spain planned for early summer 2024, and on a whim, he told me I should go with him. You better mean it when you invite me overseas because I have yet to turn down that kind of offer. I immediately agreed, and we had our first big travel test together — two weeks navigating a foreign country with no real break from one another.

It went off without a hitch (well, there was that whole Carole-needs-a-water-NOW incident, but we recovered quickly… don't know the story? Ask us at the wedding!). Finding a wonderful human who also loves travel kind of sealed the deal.

We continued to see one another and take several fun little trips together. Then in May of 2025, we traveled to Georgia to meet the family on both sides. Nathan's daughter Maia was getting married, and my sister hosted Nathan, myself, and our mother for a few days of fun and relaxation.

What could have been nerve-racking turned out wonderfully. During Maia's reception, she pulled me aside and said she knew Nathan and I had been talking about moving in together. She asked if we could pick up the pace a bit so that she and her husband Buster could start renting Nathan's place. We were both absolutely thrilled to have Maia and Buster moving to Colorado, and we didn't think twice about speeding up our timeline — and I was thrilled to have gotten the family stamp of approval.

In late November of 2025, Nathan and I had our third annual sojourn to the Denver Botanic Gardens Trail of Lights. The weather decidedly did not cooperate, but I really wanted to go despite the freezing cold and snow.

While there, Nathan pulled out the most stunning ring you could imagine and proposed under the twinkling and snowy lights. I was so excited I forgot to actually say "yes!" But eventually, he coaxed my answer out of me. I remember nothing about the Trail of Lights but can give you every single detail about my ring, which I stared at in awe for the rest of the evening.

Nathan and I have spent the last several months making a home together, navigating the trials and tribulations of combining two decidedly single and independent lives into one decidedly not-single couple. We have taken on every new challenge by not shying away from it, but instead having the hard conversations. Those conversations have led to an amazingly strong bond and deep love for one another, and we are both thrilled at the prospect of growing old together.

Nathan is my rock, my muse, and just an all-around amazing man. We cannot wait to share the happy occasion of making our union official with all of you next May.