Our Story…
We were just friends…
We met while attending the University of Colorado Boulder (sko buffs!) through mutual friends during our sophomore year. For the first several years we knew each other, we were truly just friends. Throughout college, we spent a lot of time together, but it wasn’t until the end of our senior year that we really grew close.
It was the summer of 2020, COVID summer. We had just graduated, the world was shut down, our jobs had fallen through, and the future felt completely uncertain. That summer, we soaked up everything Boulder had to offer with a close group of friends before each of us prepared to step into a new chapter: Aspen for Cade and New York City for Audrey. But the world had other plans.
For Audrey’s birthday, a group of us road-tripped to Bozeman, Montana, where we camped, swam, hiked, and visited our friend Cammy. While we were there, Cade and Sean’s last housing option in Aspen fell through. At the same time, Audrey and Ryley were still trying to figure out their next move. So, the four of us applied for a place in Bozeman. A week later, we moved.
Somewhere in the middle of that transition, our friendship began to shift. We spent day after day together exploring our new town. Once Cade picked up Riot, we spent even more time hiking and going on adventures. We quickly became inseparable. And in order to give our budding relationship a real shot, we decided to move once more, this time to California, and set our sights on San Francisco.
And so the romance begins…
After a three-month stay with Cade’s family, spent boating, hiking, and falling in love with Tahoe, we found a place in San Francisco. Audrey lined up a job, Cade was finishing his Master’s online, so we hooked up a trailer and hit the road.
We spent a few months together in a 500-square-foot apartment before Audrey moved in with Tchang, Claire, and Izzy. That year in the city is one we will never forget. San Francisco will always hold a special place in our hearts. It’s where we made lifelong friends, taught Riot how to be a city dog, and began our careers. As incredible as it was, we couldn’t help but feel ourselves longing for the mountains.
From San Francisco, we picked up and moved again, this time to Truckee, Cade’s hometown, where we had better access to skiing, hiking, biking, and could be closer to family. Our little home in Truckee with Riot felt straight out of a fairytale. We experienced two record-setting winters: our house buried in snow, cars stuck for days, and a fireplace that burned constantly as our only source of heat. We were living our snow-globe dream.
When our landlord decided to sell the house, we knew it was time to invest in a home of our own. Naturally, since we never seem to stay in one place for long, we turned our sights back to Bozeman, where our love began. Before leaving Tahoe for good, we made sure to squeeze in one last epic summer, this time living in Tahoe City with Hunter and enjoying long days with our newest toy, H.A.G.S. (Have a Great Summer).
What a summer that was.
At the end of the summer, we packed the truck, the U-Haul, and H.A.G.S., and we headed north to Montana.
The engagement…
In the interest of closing the loop, Cade planned our engagement on Lake Tahoe, with a supporting cast member: H.A.G.S. (our 1985 Ski Nautique). Secretly, this had been the plan for H.A.G.S. all along.
On a cold Saturday morning in September, we woke up at 6 a.m. to take H.A.G.S. from North Lake to the East Shore to watch the sunrise. The original plan had been to start at 9:00, but Audrey insisted we get up early to see the sun come up. To stick to the plan, we took it slow, passing the time playing cards, reading, and tuning the carburetor. After a few quiet hours, we putted our way over to a nearby beach, beached the boat, and climbed ashore.
Little did Audrey know, this was what she had been waiting for. With Sarah and Caroline hiding in the bushes to capture the moment, Cade got down on one knee.
She said yes!
After some celebrating on the beach, we dove headfirst into what would become the most memorable Saturday of our lives. Many of our closest friends and both of our families were waiting on a nearby dock. We pulled up by boat and celebrated our engagement, surrounded by many of the people we love most, in one of the most beautiful places on earth.
Now, to come full circle, we invite you to join us where it all began, in Boulder, Colorado, on October 3rd, 2026. Our wedding will take place just across the street from where Ben and Angela first refuted our claim of being “just friends.” At the time, we didn’t see what they saw, but they were right all along.