the proposal

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We drove from Santa Barbara to Yosemite, California in October 2021. The drive alone was absolutely stunning: the mountains and trees stood majestically, the sun shined even as the temperature began to drop from 85 to a perfect 70 degrees. That morning we set out on a 4.7 mile hike up Glacier Point – one of the most difficult hikes at Yosemite, mind you. We HIGHLY underestimated this hike, having NEVER hiked up a mountain before, standing up 3,200 feet above sea level. We didn’t think twice about it and just went for it. About mid-way through I was regretting this decision. Sweating, sore, out of breath, and ready to give up. Both children and experienced outdoorsmen zoomed past us. Unfortunately, it wasn’t one of those things you could just walk away from. No one was coming to save us. On the bright side, the views got better with every switchback. The air got thinner, cleaner, and before we knew it we started to gain a second wind. On the way up, Evan encouraged me by saying, “It will be well worth it once we get up there.” Hmm I thought to myself, what does he have planned? We kept going. We made it. Evan was right, the views were impeccable. Breathtaking. Only God could create such a scenery like this. Before I knew it Evan started to get down on one knee, expressing, “If we can get through hard challenges like the one we just experienced together, I know we can get through anything. Will you marry me?!” How can a girl not belt an emphatic YES to that?! We cried. We hugged and kissed. We unknowingly had an audience who erupted into applause and then we laughed and cried at the same time. The ring was better than I could have ever imagined. We were engaged. 

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