Granby Ranch

Wedding Day

Wedding

Reception

Our Wedding

Hey, Megan here. This is my side of the story about how a misunderstanding became the greatest part of my life. Before I start there are some things you all need to know. Westmont College is a small Christian school and, as such has a weird culture around friendship and dating. One of the traditions is an "Indy," which is a way to ask a random stranger to coffee so that you can learn all about their lives and become best friends, or something like that. Spring of my Sophomore year of college I decided that I needed to branch out and make more friends. So, I did what any type A person would do, and I made a list of all of the people I wanted to be friends with. Kirk was number 2 on that list. We were in all of the same classes and in the orchestra together and I figured it was about time I knew more about him, other than how obnoxiously loud he was in the back of class. After accomplishing Indy #1, I asked Kirk to coffee. It went like this: I followed him back to his dorm after orchestra one night, and in a caffeine induced craze asked him to coffee the next week, and ran off thinking that was that. That weekend was orchestra tour to San Diego and Disneyland. Our crafty friend Chyna made sure that Kirk and I sat together for the 6 hour drive. Of course we talked the whole time, and he made his move (i.e.put his hand on my knee). This led to a whole lot of confusion on my side, since I had no romantic intentions or inclination toward him whatsoever at the time, but it was nice.I had little time to figure out my feelings before our formerly very platonic-ally intentioned coffee date. But, he borrowed a friends car so that we could go to my favorite coffee shop, and we talked for so long we ended up getting ice cream as well. The combination of three of my favorite things (good coffee, ice cream, and conversation) ended up winning my affection and eventually my heart.

Let's be friends

During our second year of college, Megan and I, both being pre-health students and musicians, spent quite a bit of time together, though not really together. We knew each other, but didn't see each other outside of class. We had mutual friends and mutual classes but no real interaction. So, one Thursday night after Orchestra, as I was brewing coffee for a long night of organic chemistry in my dorm room, there was a knock on my door. Nobody knocked on my door. "Who could it be?" I thought. It was Megan, as peppy as could be, asking me "So, I want to be friends. Do you want to go to coffee?" She had just finished her cup of coffee. I had not yet had mine and my mind was working on fumes. Despite this, red flags were going up in my head. "Who asks to go to coffee like this? Why? How is she so awake? What's is going on?" I plainly replied, "I like coffee." Then, as if on cue, one of our mutual friends, also in Orchestra, freshly back to his room, and similarly as peppy (despite the fact that he, too, had a long night of organic chemistry ahead of him, like myself and Megan), popped out from around a corner. He seemed excited about something, thus adding more red flags to the bewildering display in my head: "Why is he here just at this moment? How is he so excited?" Our coffee "indy" was delayed because Megan, in her excitement, had tried to plan it for two weeks that contained 3 tests for both of us and ended with Orchestra Tour and subsequently Spring Break. But over those intervening 2 weeks, I was noticing what I thought were telltale signs that she was totally into me, and that I was into her. Read her story to find out what actually happened. One such sign happened at dinner. I was eating with a few friends (Megan not included) and walked over to the dessert buffet, passing the table where Megan was sitting on the way back to my seat. I stopped to talk to her and her friends (our mutual friends) and was serendipitously wearing a fuzzy knit sweater with eagles on it that I had bought in Bolivia the summer previous. Megan was sitting at the end seat of the long table and as I stood there, she threw out her hand and petted "the sweater" down the middle of my chest, despite the fact that my arm was closer. Dumbstruck, I finished conversation and walked away and swore that I heard, in Megan's voice, "What a man!" She denies that to this day, blaming it instead on our friend Blake Ebert.I decided that I would see what happened, if anything, on Orchestra Tour and go from there. By the end of the 4-day tour, we were snuggling and sharing life stories on a bus on our way back to Santa Barbara. The rest is is history: full of long late night talks and heaps of coffee.

Red (or Green?) Flags

Our Story

Life at High Altitude

Why high altitude matters

As you ascend to higher altitudes, atmospheric pressure decreases, the air is thinner and less oxygen is available. It is also colder, drier and the ultraviolet rays from the sun are stronger. Each of these changes may have unpleasant effects on your body. The extent to which you are affected depends on how quickly you ascend, what elevation you attain, how hard you exercise, what you eat and drink and what health problems you may have (smoking, emphysema, asthma, anemia, diabetes and high blood pressure).

High Altitude Best Practices

Increase fluid intakeDecrease salt intakeModerate your physical activityEat high-carbohydrate, low-fat mealsReduce alcohol and caffeine intakeFeeling worse? Seek help.

Details

Photos

Aaron Wilk

Bayley Krell

Jesse Boyd

Karis Sykes

Andi Erikson

Jeff Han

Chris Turcotte

Audrene McMahon

Jessica Garrett

Kevin Brandt

Brayden Jeffrey

Kyndal Vogt

Wedding Party

Registry

Q + A

If you don't want to rent a car, this is an option for you. With an affordable shuttle between Winter Park and the airport, this is a great way to get up to the mountains.

Home James Transportation

Only 2 miles from our wedding venue, this is the closest hotel available. Both individual rooms and suites can be booked here.

The Inn at Silvercreek

If you don't want to rent a car, and choose to stay in Winter Park or a bit far from the venue, this service offers private transport and buses.

Mountain Transit Adventures

Book a 1, 2 or 3 bedroom condo or a vacation home for easy access and a personal experience. Most bookings will be less than 2 miles from the wedding venue giving everyone easy access to the festivities. For lodging within walking distance of the venue book at BaseCamp One. Mention our wedding when you call to book and receive 10% off!

BaseCamp One and Slopeside Homes

For a privately managed home rental, look no further than Vacation Rental By Owner (VRBO). Gather together your friends and family to save on lodging and continue the mountain festivities beyond our wedding.

Private Home Vacation Rental

Uber

Travel

Bike Granby Ranch offers a top-notch mountain biking program, a downhill bike park and a network of multi-use trails. Including, lift-serviced downhill and cross-country trail for experts and beginners, scenic and family-friendly cross-country trails, expert-designed gravity-fed trails and terrain features, private lessons, and repairs and terrain-specific rentals. The only rule here, no hurting yourself before the wedding!

Mountain Biking

Access trails all over the mountains via the Granby Ranch chair lifts or take a short 15 minute drive into Rocky Mountain National Park to experience the natural wonders Colorado has to offer.

Hiking

Come fish Granby Ranch's private three-mile stretch of the Fraser River, a beautiful gold-medal tributary of the mighty Colorado River and filled with brown, rainbow, and cutthroat trout.

Fly Fishing

With strategically placed sand traps, lakes and ponds, Golf Granby Ranch offers 18-hole play for golfers of all abilities. This scenic course consistently ranks as one of the top mountain golf courses in Colorado, and is open to the public.

Golfing

Just 22 minutes from Granby Ranch is the Hot Sulphur Springs resort and spa. Take a dip in the naturally heated pools or book a relaxing massage. Perfect for a day of pampering while on your vacation.

Megan & Kirk