After meeting on-line while Dave was on a business trip to Ireland, Renate met Dave at the Bayou themed restaurant in Denver Pappadeux’s where they started their journey over oysters, crawfish and alligator (and Alka Seltzer).

They soon started their trek around the country, living in Westminster, and Broomfield Colorado, then Champaign, IL, and then back to Denver and Colorado Springs, and finally to their forever home (with Dave’s soon to be Dave Cave) in Reunion, Colorado.

They have enjoyed trips and vacations to Las Vegas, Indianapolis (where they met Officer Hooper from Stranger Things), Fort. Lauderdale, Miami, Orlando, Virginia, North Carolina, LA, Park City, UT, and Copper Mountain, Colorado where Dave proposed last February with the help of the entire staff at the Indigo Hotel and Kucu Restaurant.

And on the trip back from Dave’s hometown of Ottawa Ontario, they got to fly with the Stanley Cup on its way to the Avalanche’s winning it. And Renate managed to charm the Keeper of the Cup, Phil Pritchard and get an exclusive look and picture of Lord Stanley! The next time they see it close up will be when they see Dave’s Sens hoist the Cup in a few years.

Dave was as proud as could be when Renate earned her BA in Education at her graduation ceremony at Grand Canyon University in 2019. Go Lopes!! And Dave has since got to meet with Renate’s classes at driving ranges and Halloween parties.