It all began in Copper Mountain, Colorado. The first day of snowboarding camp. Denise had just started working as an Au Pair for the family that operates the G-Team (the snowboard team that Jacob grew up racing for and has since become a coach for.) Jacob was out in Colorado coaching and first set eyes on Denise when he walked into the team condo for breakfast. Excited to hear that Denise was from Argentina, Jacob shared his experience traveling there from just a couple of years prior.

A few days into camp, Jacob and Denise decided to go for a drink together...just the two of them...some might call this a date, but according to Denise, they were "just friends."

Denise experienced her first...and last time on a snowboard...

Over the course of the next two weeks, Jacob and Denise spent every day together when they weren't working and had a lot of fun with other coaches and friends.

Jacob and Denise were back in Minnesota and Denise decided to make a quick stop at a group shindig with Jacob's friends. Denise must not have been super impressed because the only photo she took that day was this one of chips and salsa.

Fast forward to Halloween night 2021, six months since they had last seen each other. Jacob, for the first time in his whole life decided to attend a concert by himself at The Armory. I mean, it was the legendary DJ and producer Tiesto... so who wouldn't...right? Anyway, it just so happened that Denise was also at this concert too and Jacob saw her post a picture that she was there! So... Jacob battled through a crowd of 8,000+ sweaty halloween dancers and finally found Denise...Right in the middle of the crowd. They danced the night away as Tiesto showed them why he is truly a legend. They didn't want the night to end, but when it eventually did, they came out sweaty, tired, happy, and covered in long island iced tea.

Shortly after their concert adventure, Jacob was feeling determined. He knew that he had to be tactical if he wanted to land a catch like Denise and he didn't want it to be another six months until they saw each other again. Denise left to vacation with her family in Florida giving Jacob plenty of time to come up with a strategy. After finding out that Denise's mom and sister would be accompanying her back to Minnesota, Jacob implemented phase one - meet the family... Still under the assumption that they were "just friends," it took a little convincing for Denise to allow Jacob to pick them up from the airport and drive them back to Elko (about an hour away from Jacob's house). He picked up Denise, Marlene, and Dominique and spent those 45 minutes hearing about their trip and getting to know them better. After his departure, Denise was faced with a round of questions about the unusually well dressed and cologne covered man who just drove them from the airport. Even though Denise wasn't seeing it, her mom and sister definitely did...

Phase two was a team effort. Jessica (Denise's host mom) coordinated a surprise Birthday for Denise and Jacob was lucky enough to get the invite. We met friends, spent time with Denise's mom and sister, and had great food.

Phase three - The first birthday gift is what sealed the deal. Denise, having never seen a wax dipped Amaryllis bulb before, gave Jacob a weird look when he handed her a red lump and told her to set it next to her window. Over the next few weeks, however, Denise began to see the flower bloom and slowly began becoming obsessed with watching it grow... What she didn't know at the time, however, is that she was also becoming obsessed with something (or should I say someone) else...

Success! Denise came over to Jacob's place before they attended their first party together and finally, things were moving from the "friend-zone" to the "boyfriend-zone."

Attending a neon themed party together, Denise had to dip into Jacob's wardrobe and, of course, laid claim to his favorite jacket.

After trying to pin a time down for over a month Denise and Jacob finally found a time to go out on their first real date together. Jacob had secretly been practicing the phrase, "queres ser mi novia?" (will you be my girlfriend in spanish), and anxiously awaited the right moment to ask... so he did... AAAND BOOM SHAKALAKA... she said SI!

They started going on more adventures together... enjoying Denise's first snowmobile ride.

Denise introduced Jacob to her Argentinian cooking (and wine). He didn't realize how much he liked Malbec!

We traveled up north to Giant's Ridge and Denise learned more about what it means to be a Minnesotan.

Denise came to see Jacob build a light show and DJ at one of his events. She fell asleep in a chair shortly after this photo was taken at 2:00am.

Denise had to get payback with a surprise birthday party for Jacob featuring good beer and good friends.

Soo...Keeping with the trend of surprises, Jacob decided to fly out and surprise Denise when she was out in Colorado. After one year, they were back at Copper Mountain again!

This time, though, they were out on the slopes together.

It was inevitable that Jacob was going to have to learn to dance to Reggaeton music. This was his first time at Latin night for a friend's birthday party. He only slipped and fell once that night, so he actually did pretty well all things considered.

A new Mountain biking adventure to Decorah Iowa tested their camping skills and ability to cook on the go...

But... that didn't keep them from stopping in town for a walking taco and some whippy dip Ice cream.

They burned off the calories on the way back though! And thus completed their first camping trip together.

Denise had a blast on her first Jetski ride, even after regretting the words "Don't get me wet Jacob!"

We had our first summer together. Of course...on the water!

We took a walk to the chapel at Saint John's (where Jacob went to college). Legend has it that if you walk the chapel trail with your significant other and you pass around a specific tree together, you will end up getting married! (oooooh...foreshadowing?)

Alakazam! Denise and Jacob transformed into a wise wizard and beautiful elf princess for the day when they visited the Minnesota Renaissance Festival.

We laughed and had a blast at Denise's going away party, because soon her visa would expire and she would have to go back to Argentina.

Not too long after, Jacob dropped Denise off at the airport to head back to Argentina. He knew he would see her in a month, but didn't know when she was going to come back...

At last, what felt like the longest month of their lives was finally over. Denise took a trip over to Chile and met Jacob there when he landed. They were SO happy to see each other.

Aaaaand not too long after... Jacob met the family! This is Denise's Aunt, Uncle, her cousins, and mom.

Being in the southern hemisphere didn't stop them from embodying their true form as a pokemon trainer and Pikachu.

After a short stop in Santiago, they were off to the land of Malbec, Mendoza!

Once they got to Mendoza, they rented a car and drove waaaay out of the city. Jacob had found a "trail" that they wanted to go hike in the mountains.

I put "trail" in quotations, because the lack of cell service left us with this screen shot to guide our way.

As excited as Denise was to make it to the top. Eating this sandwich would not be the most exciting part of her hike....

Zam pow...Cachow! Jacob set his camera down for a photo and began to read Denise a poem, next thing she knew, he was down on one knee presenting a ring. He asked her to spend her life with him and she said yes of course and now they moved from the "boyfriend zone" to the "fiance'" zone.

Jacob got to meet Denise's friends at her birthday party... He also learned why Argentinian's like Fernet so much...

We got to see and taste the best parts of Mendoza.

Which was a lot different than the airplane meal he had on his way back to the states...

Our prayers were answered and Denise made it back to the States! We didn't even make it home before stopping at her favorite place... Chipotle!

Of course, having Denise back meant we had to have an official engagement celebration with the family!

Rick, Kris, Jacob, and Denise attended a crazy vikings game on Christmas Eve! It was a white out game, so the stadium was filled with people dressed in white.

We went skating where the Minnesota Wild play their games. Jacob only fell a couple of times, so it was a good day for him.

We ventured, yet again to the cold, cold north for a snowboarding race.

We decided to escape the cold and had the time of our lives on a family cruise!

Denise learned how to build a stage for the Dance Agenda block party!

Sophia showed us a cool new band! Wilder Woods at the Varsity Theater. I would highly recommend checking them out!

We celebrated a big accomplishment when Jacob received his master's degree. Speaking from experience, black robes are not great attire for a hot sunny day...

A huge accomplishment for Jacob, he finally convinced her to learn hot to play Magic the Gathering, one of his favorite card games. Denise ended up winning this game.

We made our first trip down to Birmingham Alabama to celebrate another Sterling wedding (Matthew and Janie)!

We drove all the way to Nebraska to pick up our first dog! her name is Miska and she is a princess.

Finally, the end of the engagement story and the beginning of the marriage story. We had a beautiful, small wedding ceremony out on the lake. It was a perfect July night and we got married at sunset. We enjoyed every moment of this experience, but, having been so small, we felt like we were still missing out on our opportunity to celebrate with all of our friends and family. So... thats why we're here and you're reading this, we are excited to continue this journey and seal in our love for each other in front of all of the closest people to us. Not to mention, we will have a pretty hoppin' party after too. See you there!