In 2010 we were introduced to each other by our mutual friend, Ariel. He thought we'd get along because we had a lot in common, like snowboarding and indie rock music. And as always, Ariel was right!
Because we loved to do the same things, we became fast friends while snowboarding together, going to concerts, and hanging out with a close-knit group of friends.
Our first “date” was in the winter of 2011 at Beaver Creek Resort. We were staying in the mountains for the weekend with some friends. While we were snowboarding, Monique made a bet with Craig that if he could ride his snowboard switch (backwards) for the rest of the day, she would buy him dinner. And so Craig rode switch all day. While our friends had other dinner plans, we went up to the Beaver Creek village for dinner at Blue Moose Pizza. Afterward we went ice skating together. And the rest is history.
Our last "date" before we realized that we should be a couple was seeing the band Pinback perform in Denver. We went to Pho 95 on Federal Boulevard for dinner, and were seated at a communal table. In talking with our neighbors at the table, one of them mentioned that we made a cute couple. It was obvious to other people, and hearing that made it harder to ignore what was really going on between us.
Because we had the same interests, it was an easy transition from a friendship into a relationship. We lived in different towns, but we made time and found activities that made it fun to spend time together.
We still do most of the things that initially drew us together. In the years since, we've seen countless concerts, traveled all around the country and the world, snowboarded frequently, returned to Beaver Creek, gone ice skating, hung out with Milo and his dog friends, gone to the film festival, hiked, run, biked, participated in races, explored the town, moved in together, seen friends married, welcomed new friends into our lives, and tried to continue having fun together and making time for the things we love.
On March 26th, we got engaged at Beaver Creek.
We went to Beaver Creek for a weekend snowboarding getaway. On Saturday night we walked to the Beaver Creek village for pizza at Blue Moose. And ice skating, of course. When we'd finished, we cuddled up on the seats next to the fire pit. We sat together, held hands, and talked about what we hoped our future might be like.
And then Craig proposed to Monique.
On September 2nd, we'll be married at the top of Winter Park Resort in Colorado. Since our love developed in the mountains, we couldn’t think of a better place to celebrate with family and friends!
And to bring it all back to the beginning, our friend Ariel will perform our wedding ceremony. So it turns out that all the things that brought us together, still keep us together.