Our first official interaction was on January 28th, 2023. On this day, a mutual friend invited me and Elle to go skiing at Bogus Basin. Throughout the evening, we talked a lot on the chairlift about life and shared funny stories. Towards the end of the evening, I felt like I had known Elle for a long time! She was easy to talk with and had a fun, joyful personality. I enjoyed getting to know her and found that she was lovely to be around.

As time passed, I started to consider Elle as a close friend. We would say “Hi” whenever we passed each other in the quad or in our school cafeteria. We often talked about life, Jesus, and snowboarding which made for great conversations! We were good friends for about four months before things started to change.

There was one day that changed everything. On this day, Elle and I did many activities in a group setting together, including dinner, pickleball, a game called lava monster, a campfire, and a late-night McDonald's run. We talked a lot, and I didn't return to the dorm until 2 am! I walked back into the dorm with a friend named Grey Corbus, who had been hanging out with us all day. He told me that evening, “Dude. I would third wheel that any day” and that Elle seemed like an amazing woman. At that moment, it hit me what I couldn't see before and Grey was right!

The following Sunday, we were both invited to go on a hike with a friend from church. After the hike I asked Elle to lunch, and she said yes. During the lunch, we talked about life and asked fun questions. After some time, we expressed our feelings about each other. I was relieved to hear that Elle had the same feelings for me.

After one year and three months of dating, Ryan proposed.

We were in Cascade for my birthday weekend with our friends Matt and Courtney. Saturday morning, we left the house to go on a hike to Boulder Lake. During the hike, we saw so many butterflies and flowers! At the end of the hike, we were rewarded with a jaw-dropping view. We found a great sitting spot when Ryan pulled me aside and asked the big question. I said YES!

The Lord truly blessed this weekend, and we couldn’t have asked for anything more! Now, we are planning the celebration to come in June 2025. We cannot wait to share this big day with all of our friends and family!!

Registry

Thank you for your gift(s) and your role in our lives! Ryan and I feel so loved!!