We started dating in late 2015 and one of our first dates will seem crazy to our non-Coloradan friends. Both avid skiers, we woke up at 5 AM in below-freezing temperatures to drive two hours to go skiing.
A little too tired to show off our skills, we had a leisurely breakfast which turned into brunch when we "accidentally" ordered a bottle of champagne. We didn't get much skiing in, but we did have a great time!
The weekend ended up being one for the books - we watched the Broncos win Super Bowl 50 together the next day!
Despite meeting in Denver, we both have family living only a few miles apart in Florida.
Baird grew up in Delray Beach, FL off of Atlantic Avenue ("The Ave") and the Rodawig's have been vacationing in South Florida for decades. Both families are/were members of the Ocean Club of Florida in Ocean Ridge and we actually think we both swam on the Club's swim team back in the day!
Delray is a special place for both of us - it wasn't the original plan, but we are excited to get to show it off to you!
Baird loves the mountains. She was lucky enough to grow up skiing Snowmass in the winters and spending her summers at Sanborn Western Camps learning to love backpacking, mountain climbing, and being outside!
Although a less-enthusiastic hiker, Chase continues to support Baird's love for the outdoors by tagging along on six Colorado 14ers and even attending an Elam 3-day backpacking trip to Chicago Basin.
This photo was taken atop North Eolus, a 14,000 ft peak in Colorado's San Juan mountain range where Chase glissaded for the first time.
We adopted a chunky dachshund in November 2017, renaming her from Cadillac to Gretchen Weiners (Mean Girls reference). Gretchen has been a wonderful addition to our little family and spices up our lives with her sass and insatiable appetite. We love walking her around the neighborhood and seeing the great amusement her long body gives people!
We decided life in 2020 wasn't crazy enough (sarcasm) and adopted a little red hound named Chubbs Petersen (Happy Gilmore reference). One year later, he is Baird's best hiking buddy and a 75-lb bundle of love.
Over the years, we've fallen in love with long-weekend travel and have been lucky enough to visit wineries in Oregon, Sedona, and Napa, national parks in the Pacific Northwest, the Grand Canyon, and golf courses galore.
This photo was taken at the Grand Canyon last year.
After years and years of stalking Zillow, we decided 2020 was the year we would buy our first home.
In May (just two weeks before Chase proposed), we closed on a house in the Berkeley neighborhood in Denver. So far homeownership has been everything we dreamed (except for the part where we have to fix everything that breaks)! We've loved frequenting the Tennyson restaurants and bars down the street and having a real backyard for the pups!
When the Elams took a surprise trip to Denver (during a pandemic) and Chase asked to take a Friday off to go hiking in Aspen, Baird was pretty suspicious. Plus, after nearly five years, how could you not be!?
Because of COVID-19 and early-season conditions, most of our favorite hikes around Aspen (see the "Exploring Aspen" page for more info) were closed. We opted instead for Smuggler's Trail, a looped trail with views of the town.
To make a long story short, after bushwhacking off-trail and through some moose tracks, Chase found a spot "with a view," dropped a knee, and asked Baird to marry him! It was perfect. We took this photo on the way down the hike to commemorate the moment.
We struggle to keep this brief because it truly was the most spectacularly perfect day. We were married on June 5, 2021, in Aspen with our immediate family with our beloved Rocky Mountain backdrop. We cannot thank our parents enough for making our moment so intimate and special all the while helping us to plan a celebration with you in January!