OUR STORY
We first met 10 years ago at my best friend’s Sweet 16 birthday party—a night I’ll never forget. I remember looking across the room and instantly noticing him. I leaned over to my friend and asked, “Who’s that guy?” and he replied, “Oh, that’s Ben Naser, you should meet him.” Needless to say, I made the first move, and the rest is history.
We instantly became the “cross-town lovers”…
…attending different high schools, but never letting the rivalry keep us apart. We were always in each other’s stands, cheering one another on, even if it meant getting booed out of the opposing student section.
After high school came college, and with it, the first of many Colorado trips—our happy place. A place where it’s just us. Whether it was learning how to ski or finding our next adventure, we always had each other. The mountains became our escape, filling us with joy, laughter, and memories we’ll cherish forever.
What started as a teenage crush turned into late-night conversations, shared adventures, and a love that’s only grown stronger with time. Looking back, it feels like fate—that at a Sweet 16, all those years ago, I would meet the person who would become my best friend, my partner, and now my forever.
THE
PROPOSAL
APRIL 15, 2024
What started as our annual spring trip to Colorado — our beautiful happy place — turned into the best day ever.
Per usual, I came home from work exhausted and fell asleep while packing my suitcase. For the first time in my life, I actually slept through our flight. Instant panic. I was frazzled, angry with myself, and completely overtired. But Ben, being Ben, woke up with a smile and just said, “Al, it’s fine — we’ll just book another one.” He’s always the calm to my drama. Bags repacked, we made it to the airport, caught the next flight, and finally… Colorado. One deep breath of that mountain air, and just like that, everything shifted.
The only thing I asked for was a sunrise hike — so at 7 AM, we set out for Garden of the Gods with Ben’s cousins, Jake and Maria. Somehow, we were the only people crazy enough to hike that early, and it felt like we had the whole place to ourselves. I was in total awe of the landscape, pointing out every view like I’d never seen mountains before. Meanwhile, Ben kept calling my name. I snapped back, “WHAT? Are you not seeing this view?!”
And then, I turned around… and he was on one knee.
I couldn’t even speak. Total shock. Total disbelief. And total joy. Ben had even thought ahead and pulled out a bottle of Veuve — my favorite champagne — so after I finally managed to say yes, we popped it open right there in the mountains. We celebrated with happy tears, champagne toasts, and a whole lot of screaming (the good kind!).
While still chasing the high, we decided to tackle the Manitou Incline. Every local we passed warned us not to try it after only 24 hours at altitude — but of course, we did it anyway. Step by step, we climbed all 2,768 stairs and made it to the top, together.
Now, every time we look back on that trip, we’re reminded not just of that perfect moment, but of how lucky we are to always have each other — through the drama, the calm, and everything in between. And honestly… It was the easiest “yes” of my life.
