It’s the classic modern love tale: two East Coasters head West in search of sunshine, mountains, and a little reinvention—only to find each other along the way.

Hodding arrived first, Ohio-born but fresh from Boston, with a job in beer sales and a personality perfectly suited for slingin’ brews across the front range. Alyssa followed soon after, trading West Chester, PA for the wide-open skies of Colorado, determined to finally live near her sister Lauren.

One summer evening in downtown Denver, fate intervened. Introduced by friends, they exchanged easy conversation and clinked glasses under twinkle lights and skyline views. Sparks? Not quite yet. The universe, it seems, prefers a slow burn.

What followed was four years of friendship powered by pure “say yes” energy: impulsive camping trips, wildly committed themed parties, game nights that occasionally turned intense, and more Red Rocks shows than they can now count, Denver became their playground, and their friendship became the kind you’d bet on.

Through all of it, Hodding was quietly, sometimes not so quietly, courting Alyssa. She resisted… he persisted. And eventually, the moment arrived: the first kiss that shifted everything. Suddenly the years of adventures clicked into place. The foundation was there, and the timing finally aligned.

From there? The pieces fell into place, one by one. They became fixtures in each other’s families, the kind of presence everyone assumes has been around forever.

In June 2025, under Cape Cod sunshine at the beautiful home of Hodding’s Aunt Cheryl and Uncle Keith, Hodding asked Alyssa to marry him and she said “yes”! The next week, they bought their forever home together- because why not make life-changing decisions in pairs?

Now they spend their days fixing up their 1907 farm house aka the “Flower House”, planning a wedding, wrangling their cute kitties Milo and Maverick, and dreaming up a future that feels as expansive and full of promise as the Colorado sky that brought them together.