GILPIN COUNTY — Hayden Hardt-Zeman and Polina Savich met when they were both in 8th grade at the Nederland Middle-Senior High School. They became friends in 10th grade. Then the next year friendship grew into a relationship.

Polina remembers the post-homecoming party they went to as a turning point in their lives. “He was being very nice and caring during the party,” she recalls. “It was the first time I saw that side of him, and I realized that I had really big feelings for him.”

Knowing she had to go big or go back, she risked her fragile new awareness and sent Hayden a letter that shared her feelings—and even asked if he wanted to date, with the clichéd “yes or no” boxes for an answer.

Hayden, of course, said yes…and the rest is history.

On their first date they wandered around Boulder and ran a few errands. They ate Chinese food. All went well. They spent the next couple of years actively involved in Nederland’s various scenes, working at Tres Gringos, Gold Hill Inn, the Train Cars, and The Mountain-Ear. They were mentors for students at the elementary school and sang with the honors choir.

After finishing their school careers at NMSHS, they headed off to Pullman, Washington, for college. Pullman didn’t quite have the community vibe they were looking for, so Bellingham it is. And instead of a pet they have a lovely roommate.

“Moving to a new state was a big challenge,” Hayden says. “Being somewhere new was hard, but various support systems helped us to excel.” But experiencing all these new things together has made them stronger. “Moving together and sticking together was important—even the fact that we met, even though she’s from Ukraine and moved around a lot.”

Looking at each other and smiling, Hayden adds that “Polina’s eyes always bring a smile to my face,” while Polina notes that “when Haden comes home from school or work it makes me smile because I always miss him when he's away.” 

They keep their romance alive by always having flowers in the house (easier in Bellingham’s climate than here in Colorado), writing little notes, going on dates once in a while. But they are always aware of the importance of “always talking through stuff and never keeping grudges…you learn to let go and not take everything seriously.”

They celebrate Valentine’s Day “going out to a nice dinner…and sometimes we have gifts for each other…. We don’t have any traditions yet, but we can’t wait to create some.”