Jacob and I were friends before we started dating. “We did speech and debate together and he had an uncanny way of always making me laugh and was always fun to be around.” “She had great hair and had a different style every day. Super confident.” We also did theatre. We started spending a lot of time together once we were cast as Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy in Jane Austin’s Pride and Prejudice. We also learned how to dance a mean Tango. One week before the show, we took a hike in Lone Pine and made it official on 5/22/15. We’ve been dating ever since.

On a beautifully overcast Saturday, Jacob and I took a hike up Ashley Lake Mountain. He told me he had re-discovered the meadow at the top of a ridge that I’d been dying to see for years. I was so excited for this bush-wacking adventure! We skipped the switchback trails and climbed straight up. I kept stopping to take pictures of all the flowers on the way up (because I had no clue what was coming). When we finally reached the top, I was blown away at the view. I literally frolicked in a field of wildflowers. As I sat upon a large rock in the middle of this field, Jacob started playing music from his backpack and grabbed something special to give me. It was a gorgeous leather bound Bible (something I’d been on the hunt for) with “Anika Wutke” inscribed in gold at the bottom. It was bookmarked to Proverbs 31:10-31 and tied on the bookmark in the middle of the page was the most perfect ring. He had a speech and I said yes...well first I said “are you kidding” and he said “no I’m not kidding” and then I said yes...but the result was a super exciting engagement on 6/16/18. It rained as soon as I said yes (don't worry, this is a plus for me). I scooped up wildflowers on the way down as we started dreaming of the day to say "I do."