Unknown to them at the time, Allie and Mitchell grew up about 25 minutes apart in St. Louis. Though they were so close, their first meeting wasn’t until 2013. They met on the first day of living in the GSP residence hall at the University of Kansas. When Allie learned that Mitchell went to high school at SLUH, she had a look of pure contempt. As you can tell, those feelings made a complete 180.

Anyone who knows Mitchell knows he loves to ski. Steamboat Springs holds a special place in his heart as the place where he learned to ski and it doesn’t hurt that the Johnny B Goode diner in downtown Steamboat makes a mean breakfast. Though Mitchell has many memorable moments in Dreamboat, none of them involved Allie and he wanted to change that. On the morning of January 11th, in 7 degree F temps, Mitchell led Allie to the base of Fish Creek Falls. He fumbled his words a bit, but the ring spoke for itself and the couple celebrated with a Scandinavian dinner and sleigh ride later that night on Mount Werner.

From our friendship freshman year of college to present I have been in love with my best friend. Mitchell’s view on the world is so creative and different. He inspires me everyday to be stronger. He reminds me that my voice matters, even when I am unwilling to rock the boat. He makes me feel strong and confident. I love that he is a stubborn, silly, and sweet old soul.

Allie’s charisma is magnetic. She is the eternal optimist and anyone who spends time with her can’t help but feel better. Most of all, she is a positive influence on me. She encourages me to be kind, empathetic, and generous. I can be hard headed and stubborn yet she knows how to circumvent those tendencies.