Not far from where we'll tie the knot, I put together a getaway weekend for friends at my family's cabin in Wilmington, NY. I invited my roommates and their significant others for a fun-filled weekend of skiing at Whiteface Mountain, far from the hustle and bustle of New York City. Colin's roommate, Matt, was dating my roommate, Nora. Sure enough, word got to Colin about an opportunity to hit the slopes, and although we had never really met, Colin jumped at the invite to tag along. Prior to this weekend, my skiing ability was really (REALLY) sub-par. I was so excited to have all of my friends enjoying one of my favorite places, I had forgotten the whole reason for the weekend was to actually SKI. On Saturday morning, the crew suited up and headed to the mountain. It wasn't until I rode the gondola up to the summit, that I realized there was no way I could ski down. Colin turned to me, and told me that I had two choices: take the gondola back down the mountain or trust him and follow along. My ego couldn't handle the first option, so I said a prayer and hoped for no broken bones. Although Colin would have undoubtably preferred to crush the black diamonds all weekend, he spent time with me on every slope and re-taught me how to ski. I've been following him down mountains ever since!

One weekend after Skiing Whiteface together with friends (and after a couple failed attempts at dates) I was in what is known as "the friend zone". In an attempt to explore the budding relationship further, I had the bold idea, with some advice from friends and family, to invite Sam to go on a field hunt for pheasant, chucker and quail at the Mashomack hunting club in Pine Plains, NY. Sam agreed to the weekend, "as friends". While walking through the snow-covered fields in negative five degree weather, Sam noticed a bird pop up on her flank and quickly shot it down. She turned to me with a look of excitement, triumph, and terror. After quickly realizing that she had killed an animal, tears started rolling down her frozen cheeks. I already knew that Sam was a special person, but in that moment I recognized Sam's two most dominant characteristics: adventurous and empathetic. I had found a girl who could hunt with the guys, but who also had a tender, caring, loving and nurturing side. After the hunt, Sam and I warmed up by the fire and shared a drink. I pulled out all the stops for dinner that night: oysters, steak, wine, dessert. I think by that point she realized we weren't on this trip as "just friends", and I scored my first kiss. After two years of adventures, fishing, hiking, hunting, skiing, sailing and living together in New York City, Sam and I returned to Mashomack for another special weekend. In front of Halcyon Lake, I proposed my love and lifetime commitment to Sam at the same place where I fell in love with her.