The internet is a magical place - we matched on Bumble and quickly got a date on the books. We met for our first date at a restaurant that was filled with a corporate holiday party, so we went next door to the Sie Film Center for some wine, popcorn, and conversation. A few hours later we'd scheduled our second date, and within a few weeks we both were head over heels.

While Shelly's close friends were in town, she committed to them "really wanting to see Red Rocks." We dropped Porter at doggie day care so we could adventure up there for the day. Half way through the drive, we got a call that Porter had a bad reaction to bath-time and we needed to go pick him up. Convinced it was no biggie, Nicki planned to grab a Lyft back and hang with the dog at a coffee shop until they came back from Red Rocks. Shelly insisted they MUST all go get the dog (makes more sense now). So we turned back, picked the dog up, and headed back towards Red Rocks. When we arrived, Shelly produced a scrapbook practically out of thin air. Clueless Nicki thought "what a nice and random gift". The scrapbook included lunch-notes and photos from the last 2.5 years, with a final post it note asking "Nicki, will you marry me?". She had a custom ring made from Nicki's Pop-Pops old ring and Lollie's diamonds. She followed it up with a surprise mimosa brunch with some close pals, a dinner with Nicki's mom and dad, and a week later managed to bring Will and Kristen (Nicki's oldest sibs) out to Denver as a surprise ahead of an engagement party (which had been masked as a graduation party).

Shortly after Shelly's sneaky proposal, Shelly's ring was ready for pick up. On a date night to the botanic gardens, we had a picnic in a gazebo while it rained and strolled the gardens as it cleared up. Towards the end of the garden trails, Nicki pulled out the ring and made some jumbled speech (forgetting to ask the *actual* question of if she'd "marry her back"). A hidden photographer grabbed some shots of the moment as well as some photos immediately after. We headed to our favorite ice cream shop Gelato Boy where a crowd of friends awaited, along with a custom ice cream flavor for the night: "The Shelly & Nicki: Sweet and Full Of Surprises". We wrapped up the night with wine, bruschetta, and good pals at Postino!