It all started with corndogs.
In 2016, Alex was a sophomore in high school. Bailee was a freshman in college. We met at a church. Specifically, youth group, more specifically Fire-Up. We became fast friends and expert corndog hunters.
Bailee fell in love at Sonic. Why? Alex was handing out 50-cent corndogs to everyone. Romantic, right?
Our first official date was October 16th, 2016. We drove around Longmont visiting friends and delivering donuts like tiny, sugary messengers of affection. Other early adventures included climbing the Boulder Star ice skating, and painting pottery at Crackpots. Oh, and driving.
On December 26th, 2016, Alex asked Bailee to be his girlfriend. She said yes.
In January 2017, Bailee moved four hours away to Trinidad, Colorado, to start college at Trinidad State Junior College, where she played soccer. This kicked off a two-year long-distance relationship. FaceTime became a nightly habit. Bailee drove up to Longmont on weekends. Alex drove down for soccer games.
Even from a distance, we managed to pack in adventures. Concerts, trips, Mammoth games to name a few.
In 2019, we both ended up at the University of Northern Colorado. College life was chaotic. We partied, we studied, we slept in each other’s dorms, and we got pets. Probably too many to name.
After graduation, we tried long distance again, but this time only an hour apart. She visited Greeley every weekend, sometimes Alex went to Longmont.
When Alex graduated and started a job in Madison, Wisconsin, Bailee stayed in Colorado for the summer before quitting her job and moving to Wisconsin to join him. Those two months were the longest distance we’d ever done.
On July 4th, 2025, Alex flew to Colorado, surprised Bailee in Estes Park, and proposed during the fireworks. She had no idea he was coming. Or proposing. She said yes.
