Sometime in 2017
From the Roaring Fork Valley, Kristin swipes right on Bumble and messages the cute guy in a tux who has an adorable dog. Twenty-four hours go by and the connection vanishes since there is no response. [Jared claims he was in the backcountry with no service. Kristin chalks it up to Jared taking a page out of Trudi’s playbook, where she ignored him the first three times she saw him.]
January 2020
They match again, and Kristin decides to give it another go, even though Jared lives well over an hour away in Avon (in the mountains, the dating radius is more like 50 miles than 5). She figures if they click, it would find a way of working out. Her oh-so-awesome first message is about SimCity and planners.
February 6, 2020
After chatting back and forth, Kristin and Jared finally have their first date, meeting at a restaurant in Glenwood Springs while it is dumping snow. The big snowstorm threatened to cancel their plans, but Jared forges on, driving from Gypsum through the Glenwood Canyon. It is a fun evening and Jared manages to head back home to Avon before getting snowbound. He thankfully is able to ski the foot plus of powder the next morning. Unbeknownst to Kristin, Trudi is there for the first date too, hanging out in Jared’s Outback.
Jared and Kristin go on a few more dates and get to know each other during winter hikes, yoga and hot springs visits.
March 2020
On Thursday, March 5, Kristin drives over to Jared’s side of Eagle County (near Vail) for work, and they manage to coordinate an impromptu dinner date. On Saturday, it becomes apparent that this “COVID thing” is here and escalating when Kristin needs to be on a call with the county manager regarding an emergency declaration. That Monday, she heads over to Vail for another meeting (which is a great excuse to see Jared again). This turns out to be the last in-person meeting for a while, and the last time Jared and Kristin would see each other for weeks.
The Aspen and Vail areas become two of the first areas hit by COVID, shutting down before most of the country. Normal dating is officially over, as is ski season. Jared and Kristin resort to FaceTime and virtual game nights with friends. After a month of not seeing each other, they go for their first socially distant hiking date in Dotsero, talking about everything and anything. Trudi runs in between them the whole time. They awkwardly picnic in a parking lot, each sitting on their respective Subaru hatches, at least six feet away.
That spring, Kristin asks her roommates at Cara Ct. in Carbondale if Jared can join their COVID bubble so they see each other – and actually kiss – which is the weirdest dating milestone ever.
Summer 2020
COVID dating continues, now with an added fun of navigating the Grizzly Creek wildfire in the Glenwood Canyon, which is burning between where Kristin and Jared live. The wildfire closes I-70 for two weeks, preventing Kristin and Jared from seeing each other (again).
The summer is filled with a lot of hiking, camping and backpacking. Kristin even starts learning to mountain bike. Kristin meets Jared’s parents in the driveway of his condo due to COVID precautions. Jared meets Kristin’s dad when he drives out later that summer in his RV.
We swear we own more outdoor clothing than this – we just have our go-to favorites.
And Jared really likes his OR hat!
November through December 2020
Kristin has major surgery on her hip, leaving her unable to drive or walk for two months. She ends up temporarily moving in to Jared’s condo because of the layout and low entry shower. What is true love? Installing an elevated toilet seat with handles in a guest bathroom. They commute together to Jared’s office (with Kristin being driven down the street to PT). Kristin becomes an unofficial part of Eagle County staff, working remotely from an empty office space in the building. Jared is a saint; he understands the process, having navigated his own surgeries.
They spend Thanksgiving together, just the two of them. In true form, Kristin cooks a dinner large enough to feed at least 12 people, doing so mostly on one leg. Trudi gets to eat turkey for months. Christmas is spent with the Cara Ct. crew/Carbondale COVID bubble.
2020-21 Winter season
Winter comes and Kristin becomes Jared’s Beaver Creek chauffeur, since she remains on the injured list. She meets Jared’s brother Geoff, his family and friends when they come out to ski Vail in February.
April 2021
Kristin graduates from physical therapy, just as Jared manages to injure his right shoulder – again – requiring surgery for the third time. Kristin’s 5 month post-op appointment is literally followed by Jared’s first surgical appointment the next day at the same orthopedic office. Roles reverse, and Kristin takes care of Jared as he recovers. Jared meets Kristin’s brother Tim and his family for the first time, sporting an arm sling. [Kristin would not recommend being the person who flies with someone who can’t lift their own suitcase, especially when running is required to make the connecting flight.]
Summer 2021
Commuting challenges continue when the Grizzly Creek burn scar experiences mud, flood and debris flows multiple times after heavy rains. One major event causes I-70 to close for weeks for clean-up and repair, with mud 20-feet deep in spots. Kristin and Jared get really good at driving local back roads, and learn to leave immediately for a weekend together at the other’s place anytime rain is in the forecast. The outdoor adventures continue.
The pair make a trip back east to visit much of New England, including Boston, Maine and Connecticut. Jared gets to see where Kristin used to live and the places she loves the most. He also gets to meet some of her family with another awkward driveway hangout. The trip highlight may have been driving a Ford Mustang convertible for a week.
September 2021
Jared and Trudi get into a three car accident just minutes after leaving Kristin’s place. The Outback is totaled and while Jared is fine (thank God for airbags!), Trudi hits her back on the dashboard. HARD. Kristin rushes to the scene, scoops up Trudi and gets her to the nearest vet, while Jared deals with the police. Jared meets her and they rush to Grand Junction to see an animal neurologist. Trudi gets an MRI and thankfully her spinal cord is bruised, not severed. Trudi is temporarily paralyzed; requiring her to be immobilized to heal as much as possible (try keeping a German Shepard still!). Kristin and Jared begin taking shifts, watching over Trudi 24/7. At this point, all three of them have had an MRI within the last 12 months.
Jared temporarily moves in with Kristin and her roommates, as the round-the-clock shifts continue. Over the next few months, Trudi makes a recovery, with much help from the Cara Ct crew – Shayna, Joe and Tanner. Eventually she is able to walk, run and jump again. While not back to 100%, Trudi is living her best life possible.
December 2021
Kristin wins the housing lottery for a deed-restricted house in Carbondale, right down the street from her current place, and closes on it days before Christmas. This is her first time living on her own. She also finally gets to ski with Jared for the first time (and is completely intimidated and a nervous wreck beforehand). It all works out and they spend the winter skiing between the mountains of Aspen Snowmass, Vail and Beaver Creek. Jared enjoys showing off one of his favorite runs – the Birds of Prey course – at Beaver Creek.
Spring 2022
With more space and a backyard, Jared and Kristin decide it makes sense for Jared to sell his condo and move in together in Carbondale. After weeks of slowly moving, Jared officially becomes a Carbondale resident in June, and Trudi is able to keep watch over all the squirrels in the backyard.
Summer/Fall 2022
Jared experiences his first Carbondale Mountain Fair and the opportunity for a new job pops up. After lots of grilling from Kristin on every Trudi walk, Jared aces the interview and becomes the Planning Director for the Town of Carbondale. His bike commute to work is now 5 minutes.
The two spend the next couple of months settling in and doing lots and lots of painting around the house. The house projects seem to never end…
In late October, Kristin’s mom has a heart attack, and when the prognosis worsens, Kristin rushes back to Connecticut with a one-way ticket. Her mom passes days later. After weeks of being apart, Jared and Kristin take their trip to LA for a much needed break from regular life.
Winter 2022-23
Another season of more skiing, this time exclusively at the four mountains of Aspen Snowmass. Jared works to learn all the new trails, in time for the annual Barnes family ski trip in late February. Jared is still searching for an ample substitute trail for Ripsaw in the morning for his father.
July 2023
Jared, Kristin and Trudi go for a hike on Trudi’s Gotcha Day, and the two humans come back engaged. Full story here.
