Sept 1-4
Allison traveled to NYC to stay with her sister and future brother-in-law. She and Nick had both decided that they wanted to pursue an adventurous challenge—to cycle across the country. There was a convoy of riders heading to the starting line in Portland, Maine and Nick’s Brooklyn apartment was a pickup waypoint.
The day before leaving the city, the group decided to meet for a drink at a local watering hole on Flatbush Avenue called Sharlene’s. That’s where Nick first laid eyes on Allison. That’s where he thought to himself how cute she was, and a feeling of attachment first formed.
A cohort of starry eyed optimistic 20-somethings made their way from Maine to California, powered by gatorade, church casseroles and a feeling of uninhibited freedom. It wasn’t long into this journey—about 100 miles—that an infatuation in one another really took hold. What began as a summer crush grew in depth over the following 3,900 miles. That summer was a relationship incubator. When every day was a shared adventure, 3 months together could have been a year.
Allison made a decision that would ultimately chart a path for two individuals far beyond anything they could have foreseen. She hopped on a train and moved to New York City.
Tiny apartments. A basement apartment. Moving in together. Many, many jobs. Allison finishes grad school. Ramen. Pizza. Bagels. Food cart tacos. Late nights. Date nights. Dive bars. Five star restaurants. Weekends upstate. Saturdays at Prospect Park. Sunday bike rides. Friends made. Friends lost. Dinners with friends. Broadway shows. Cramped apartment shows. Dashes through closing subway doors. Slow strolls through Central Park. Through all the noise and chaos and thrills that New York had to offer, Nick and Allison had one thing that remained a constant. Them.
With the seed of an idea planted by Allison, Nick bought a van on Ebay. That’s how a 1984 Volkswagen Vanagon affectionately named Eugene, after Nick’s grandfather, entered the scene. The time had come for Nick and Allison to leave their tiny Brooklyn apartment and move into, well, an even tinier apartment. But this one had wheels and for the second time in their lives together, they set off on a cross country voyage.
Let it be stated that the true test of a relationship is to make it 10,000 miles over 4 months in a 4x12 foot space. That said, with plenty of ups and downs, the needle more often than not pointed up. After an incredible summer packed with roadside diner pancakes, car troubles, Walmart parking lots, star gazing, and outdoor adventures, Eugene rumbled into San Francisco and two vagabonds found a new home.
New homes are exciting. And if you’re into coastal hikes and wilderness escapes, California is an especially exciting place to move to. Adjusting to the new climate and culture came pretty easy to Nick and Allison. Nick quickly adopted his wardrobe to the outdoorsy casual uniform of the Bay Area while Allison developed her palette for earthy cabernet’s and oaky chardonnay’s. Weekends were always spent outside, whether that was on multi-day backpacking trip, or drinking wine in Golden Gate park with friends.
When Covid hit, Nick and Allison were pretty lucky. Their years living together in tiny Brooklyn apartments and an even tinier van, made them well suited to their new deskmates status. And the temperate California climate meant that they could still get outside and do the things they love. But there was something about a global pandemic that seemed to push people into making big life decisions. Nick and Allison made three.
One. Nick and Allison’s household grew by one when they adopted sweet Maple. Her cuddles and uncontrollable outbursts of excitement provided them with the love and affection they didn’t know they needed.
Two. One month in Colorado with Allison’s sister and brother-in-law inspired them to think about looking at houses in the area—just out of curiosity. Something about an enthusiastic realtor, or Nick being 30 and feeling the need to buy property, led them to purchase a mid-century modern ranch house in the Colorado front range.
Three. The reason you’re reading this story. Nick had the ring for about 6 months. He couldn’t figure out the right time and place to make his proposal. It finally came together when Nick and Allison started plotting a drive out to their Colorado home in the Spring of 2021. They decided to make a road trip vacation out of it, starting with a 4 day camping trip in Yosemite. On the second day, Nick and Allison packed their bags and hiked up to Little Yosemite Valley for a night out in the wilderness. After some hot bowls of ramen and a little whiskey, Nick coaxed Allison up a hill to watch the sunset. That’s the moment that this chapter of the story ends. That’s when Nick asked Allison become his wife and to start the next chapter.
We’re excited to invite all of our friends and family to celebrate our love and our story and to witness the next chapter of our lives together.
Please let us know if you can or cannot come ASAP. The deadline is June 3rd.
RSVP today