A Hike to Remember

While there is undoubtedly a lot of tension, anger, and sadness in the news and headlines these days. I’m going to share a story about love.

For me the last week has been about staying informed, reading the news, having difficult conversations with friends about current events, AND also setting limits on how much I spend on social media and limiting the amount of news that I take in. We have to remember to take care of ourselves, and it is a privilege that I get to. I have been prioritizing going outside and being in nature more because it calms me.

I’m happy to share some personal news: Dave and I got engaged 🙂 So we have been celebrating this milestone with each other, and with our closest friends and family. If you want a moment of lightness and love, then keep reading for our engagement story.

It was a Sunday in early October. I had the weekend off from work so I had put “hike” in the shared calendar that Dave and I use. It’s fall in the northeast, the best time for hiking and spending time outdoors to see the leaves changing color. That morning Dave asks if I still want to go for a hike, and I say “YES!” We decide to do one of our favorite hikes in New York at Minnewaska State Park. We pack the car with waters and our hiking shoes and start driving to our destination. On the way we stopped to grab some sandwiches to bring with us on the hike. After we park and lace up our hiking boots we start walking. The trees are just starting to turn, and there are hints of bright yellow and deep red everywhere you look. Early on in the hike something flys right by our heads. It first looked like a dragon fly, and then we saw it land and realized it was a praying mantis! Funny enough when we did this hike last year we ended up seeing a praying mantis as well. We stared at it for awhile and acknowledged that seeing one means good luck.

The conversation up the mountain was normal. Work, home, travel plans etc. Once we got to the top we decided to sit down and eat our sandwiches. That was the quietest lunch we’ve ever had. I was thinking, “we must both have a lot on our minds.” We ate our sandwiches in silence as we looked out from the overlook, feet dangling off the side of a large rock, while large hawks were flying around in the distance at eye level. After we ate we stood up. Dave pulled me in for a hug, and said, “I love you.” My head on his chest I could feel his heart beating SO fast. I thought, “Wow, he must be anxious?” And then he immediately got down on one knee and looked up at me. I said, “You’re doing this now!?” and then started laughing. Dave spoke from the heart, and then pulled out a small black box with a ring in it. He said, “Will you marry me?” and I said, “YES!”

We spent the rest of the hike down holding hands and talking about future plans. I had so many questions. How long did you have that ring for? Has it been in your pocket for weeks? I was totally surprised by the proposal. What was a normal hike on a normal day turned into a hike we will always remember.