In February of 2020, we first met each other at the High School All State Choir Festival in Denver, CO. We were seated next to each other by chance and immediately hit it off. At the time, Blaine was living in Windsor, about 1 hour north of Ella, who lived in Arvada.

Unfortunately, Blaine and Ella only were able to see each other a few times due to the Pandemic and the long distance, but still kept in touch. We went out and took pictures together in downtown Fort Collins and walked through the city of Boulder.

With Blaine going to school at Fort Lewis College in Durango and Ella attending Bethel University in St. Paul Minnesota, we decided to go our separate ways but continued keeping in contact with each other through video and text messaging.

After many months of pursuing our own interests, I realized how special Blaine was and how important he was to my life. Even throughout our friendship, I knew Blaine was someone I should hold on to and I just couldn't let go of the thought that maybe what we had was something more.

I offered to help Ella move back home from St. Paul for the summer, and I knew if I had any chance of making this work it was going to be on this trip. As I pulled up to her dorm and saw her, I knew my life was going to change forever. That night was when I asked her to be my girlfriend.

We spent the summer enjoying each other's company and exploring Colorado together. After a few months, Ella went back to Bethel and Blaine attended Fire Academy in Leadville, CO. We navigated a year of long-distance together with a few memorable trips in between.

We celebrated an early 6 months together when Blaine came to visit Ella at Bethel in October of 2021. We enjoyed fondue at the Melting Pot and spending quality time together.

After 6 months of long-distance, we planned an elaborate spring break in which we went to a concert in Denver and traveled to Ouray, CO to enjoy the mountains and scenery. We drove through the million-dollar highway, walked through Silverton, and even enjoyed some shopping in Telluride. This was when Ella decided she would be transferring from Bethel to CSU in Fort Collins to be closer to Blaine.

July of 2022, we moved in together in an apartment in Loveland with 2 other roommates. While the situation wasn't ideal, it was exciting to be starting our life together.

Blaine: I planned a trip to Winter Park to ask the big question, although it didn't go as smoothly as expected. I just couldn't wait and asked her the first chance I had, which happened to be the bedroom of our Airbnb. Thankfully she still said yes, and I lived to tell the tale.

Ella: I knew Blaine was going to ask me before we left for the trip. We had gone looking for rings in November and I suspected he would ask me during our soonest trip. Despite my suspicions, he managed to surprise me and asked me when I least expected it. In that moment, I was just thrilled to be his future wife!

June of 2023, We moved into our own apartment together and continue to enjoy our life as a couple. We had our engagement pictures taken by our dear friends Brad and Skylar, and began planning for the big day!