Lake Tahoe holds a special place in our hearts.

Our story begins at a small college on the north shores of Lake Tahoe, Sierra Nevada College (RIP).

Growing up in Minnesota, Rachel took a family trip to San Francisco in 2012. On this trip, she and her family ventured up to experience Lake Tahoe for the first time, and like most people, she was hooked on Tahoe’s beauty from the start. After returning to Minnesota, Rachel noticed a Sierra Nevada College (SNC) advertisement while working at Afton Alps, which got her thinking of the potential to attend college in Tahoe. After learning that SNC offered a Ski Business Resort Management degree, she was sold.

From 2005 - 2014 Connor grew up in Connecticut where he found his passion for skiing. During his Junior and Senior years of High School, he attended school for half of the year in Vermont, where he competed in Slopestyle Skiing across the country. As senior year crept to an end, he was convinced to take a gap year to chase his professional skiing career; however, after seeing an advertisement for Sierra Nevada College in a skiing magazine, he decided to give the school a look. Connor and his dad flew out to Tahoe in the Spring of 2014, and upon taking one look at the lake and surrounding mountains, Connor knew he had found his home for the next 4 years.

At the start of our college experience, Connor opted for a backcountry orientation trip, while Rachel stayed behind for a more spirited Tahoe experience, but it didn’t take long for us to meet considering we lived 2 doors down from each other, on the 3rd floor of the Campbell-Friedman dorms. Our worlds eventually collided at a 'fancy' party, where Rachel found herself drawn to a genuine conversation with Connor.

From October to March of our freshman year of College, we got to know each other through shared classrooms, late-night study sessions, shared meals in the dormitory, and the camaraderie that only a close-knit community could provide. From Connor going out of his way to ‘shop’ at the Oakley storefront every time he went to NorthStar to Ski, to Rachel making Connor try the delicacy of raw fish and rice (ya know, Sushi..), our friendship grew stronger and stronger throughout our Freshman year, and although Connor may have been clingy to the point of nearly scaring Rachel away, Rachel ultimately agreed to be his Girlfriend in March of 2015. And would ya look at us now 😊.

Over the course of the next 3 years, we navigated college together, while enjoying all things that Tahoe had to offer. Rach kept Connor on track with her hard-working and studious habits, while Connor got Rach out of her comfort zone by having her chase him down the mountain(s).

When the summer months rolled around, we got to experience our love for traveling together by taking road trips to Yellowstone and Glacier National Park on our way home from college. These summer months also meant some major separation for us. Rach spent her summers driving the Beverage Carts at Breezy Point Resort in Minnesota, and Connor tried his hand at being a Cutco salesman along with running a trampoline camp back in Connecticut. But as the saying goes, that distance only made it more special when we finally got to see each again in the fall, for the start of another year of college.

After graduating college in 2018, Connor was offered a job in Seattle. At the time, Rachel was working a full-time job as a store manager for two stores within the Northstar Village, but being the amazing woman that she is, Rach agreed to give Seattle a shot.

In the spring of 2019, we moved into a shoebox-sized apartment in downtown Seattle. Connor started up his job with LINE skis, and Rachel began working for Zulily.

What started as an exciting next adventure for us, quickly turned a bit rocky as Rach was involved in a mass layoff at Zulily just three months after she started working there. She was able to land a new job fairly quickly at a company called Convoy, but then the world shut down as Covid struck.

Now, the prospect of working from home is great, but with Rach and I confined to a 500-square-foot studio apartment, saying our worker quarters were tight would be an understatement. The kitchen table turned into Connor’s desk, while Rach took the couch. Oh, and the bathroom became our official ‘meeting room’ for Zoom calls.

So while going from our outdoor-oriented lives in Tahoe to being confined to a small apartment in the heart of the city was a bit of a shocker, there was never a doubt that we were going to make it through, together.

So in December of 2022, we officially became homeowners. And since then it’s been a whirlwind of balancing our daily ‘adult’ lives, with daily chores, and keeping the house in good shape. Just homeowner things.. ya know?

After officially closing on our house, Connor started to receive a few, let’s call them, * hints * about asking Rachel a certain question.

Enter a surprise birthday trip to Banff in July of 2023, the backdrop of our engagement story with more twists than a Netflix thriller. With ring dilemmas and last-minute assists from friends, Connor proposed at sunrise by Lake Moraine, turning a birthday trip into a "Wait, this is really happening?" moment. If you want to know the full engagement story, you’ll have to ask us.

Throughout the pandemic, we were still able to experience all that the Pacific Northwest has to offer, from the ocean to the mountains, we quickly learned that we were living in a pretty special place. With easy access to local hikes, skiing, and coastal adventures, we fell in love with exploring our backyard, and continuously planning the next adventure.

Not to mention we’re extremely fortunate to have an amazing community of friends throughout Seattle, primarily thanks to an extremely small world connection between Rachel, and a friend she served with at a restaurant in Tahoe (shoutout Aubin!!).

In January 2021, we were able to move into a bigger apartment about 15 minutes north of downtown in a neighborhood called Ballard. With tons of shops, restaurants, our favorite gym, easy access to the beach, bike path, and downtown, we decided Ballard was a place where we could consider buying our first house.

And so here we are! Happily settled in Seattle, at just shy of 9 years together. We’re surrounded by friends and amazing experiences. The only thing missing is family…

While Seattle is home, Tahoe will always hold a special place in our hearts. From our 4 years of college, formal events at the Hyatt, and the memorable moments around the lake, it only feels right to go back to where it all started for our big day, and we can’t wait to have you there to experience it with us.