We met through a mutual friend one night at the Monticello in the fall of 2013. I was out with girlfriends and he was out with the guys. They were supporting a friend who happened to be the DJ. Ivan and I ended up sitting across from each other at the same table. I couldn't take my eyes off of him. His dark hair and that vest he was wearing, he looked so sharp. Neither he nor I have much rhythm so when everyone got up to dance, I moved to a chair closer to him so that I could hear him over the music. He was ornery and full of personality. I loved that! We hit it off immediately. Though our friends were completely confused because of how vicious we were to each other that night! When I dropped Ivan off at his car later that night and politely told him that it was nice to meet him he grumbled "whatever" and got out of the car. We spent the next month trying to ensure we would bump into each other at the same social events.

By the end of November Ivan had plans to take me and a friend snowboarding for the first time. I was so impressed with how patient he was. He even stayed behind to teach us while his guy friends were ripping down the slopes past us. He made it look so effortless but nonetheless I ended up with a face full of snow repeatedly. We laughed until it hurt in between coy snowball fights. Each of us quietly pondering what the other was thinking on the mountain in the cold brisk air. I was overwhelmed with the idea that Ivan might be interested in me.That night after getting home from Mt. Hood we ended up back at the Monticello to support Ivan's DJ friend, Jake. We were in our own world as everyone danced around us. That night as Ivan was telling me goodnight after walking me out to my car, he hugged me and then hastily planted a kiss on my lips. He told me later that he had been thinking about it all night and had made up his mind as we walked to my car that he was going to do it. I got in my car and was smiling ear to ear and was stunned at what had just happened. I was speechless but knew one thing, I couldn't wait to see Ivan again.

On January 3rd, 2015, We were traveling to Bellvue, WA together, with my sister, Cassie, and Ivan's brother, Yegor. Ivan wanted to take me to the outdoor ice-skating rink in the park that I remembered going to with a friend when I was in college. I suspected that's when Ivan was going to propose. I noticed that he had been keeping his glove box locked. I had asked one day why it was and he flirtatiously said that maybe there was something in there for me. Christmas rolled by and I didn't recieve anything small enough to fit in a glove box. I wondered what could fit in a glove box and smiled to myself. After we skated around the rink Ivan suggested we all go for a walk around in the park. He said he wanted Cassie to take a few pictures of us. Once we were out on in the park we were looking around trying to determine which direction was a better background for the picture. I was still distracted as Ivan got down on one knee. Immediately my hands went to my face as tears welled up in my eyes and Ivan proposed. Yegor and Cassie were able to capture the moment. We spent the drive home sharing the wonderful news with family.