In August 2017, I swiped right. Our first date quickly turned into three. Somehow I was able to jot down a few thoughts after a beer at a dive bar, some mezze, and a speakeasy. I typed quickly on the LIRR home- August 29th 2017: "He told me so much, yet, I could plainly see I was just scratching the surface. He had so much to offer intellectually and I didn’t feel intimidated; I felt excited. I am only nervous that we might not have a lot in common, but if we share values and want the same things, does it really matter?" On August 8th 2023, we answered that question. And it turns out, we do have stuff in common! 2 weeks after our first date, I told him I would be quite busy in PA school. His response was, “Basically this is how it’s gonna go. You tell me when you need to work…and I’ll fill in the rest with fun stuff.” Antoine kept his promise; the past 6 years have been full of fun stuff. So, we decided to keep on doing this, forever.

On August 8th 2023, we woke up at Cougar Rock Campground in Mount Rainier National Park. It was a beautiful but ordinary day of vacation for us; we sort of plan as we go. We had a hotel booked for the night, but aside from that, we had been finding campsites and hotels as we went. From prior trips we learned that we liked having the freedom to stay longer in places we loved and move to the next place whenever we pleased. Because of this, I did not think Antoine had anything ~special~ planned. After our first hike on August 8th, the Skyline Ridge Trail in Mount Rainier, we sat by the lodge. I had an ice cream cone while Antoine had a Ranier beer. We were not in a rush and didn't have any plans for the rest of the day. The clouds that were obstructing the view of Mount Rainier earlier in the day seemed to have disappeared. Antoine very casually asked if I wanted to do a sunset hike. He said he found one on Reddit, but it was up a 10 mile dirt road with potholes and was also a bit far from the hotel. He did not seem convinced, nor was he pushing this plan. I said sure (I usually don’t say no to a sunset hike.) On the way, I mentioned that we should maybe get food because everything would be closed after sunset. He shrugged and we grabbed some provisions from a gas station. When we got there, after the 30 minute off-roading path, I realized it was extremely hot without the clouds and I didn’t pack any shorts- just a hiking dress. I asked if it would be “dumb” to wear this and he said no. I wanted to take sunset pictures anyway, and I had just discovered how comfortable it was to hike in a dress. He offered to carry the backpack so I wouldn’t have to. We threw some sweaters, a blanket, a can of wine, a beer and a bluetooth speaker into a backpack. On top he placed his camera and drone. I didn’t pay attention to that, since he often packs intense photography equipment, usually to capture landscapes. In Utah, I asked him to take a picture of me (he had an entire tripod set up) and he told me he didn’t bring the “right lens” for that. The astrophotography shots were pretty epic though. The hike was absolutely beautiful. The tall pines were illuminated with the soft sun, and once we were above tree line we got the most amazing view of Mount Rainier, with a lenticular cloud on top. We were the perfect distance away from the mountain to appreciate it in all of its glory. We realized that within the park itself, it was hard to understand its magnitude. We began to set up our picnic. We put down a blanket and I put on my “Driving Through Nature” playlist, listening to Lord Huron and Caamp while drinking my tangerine wine spritzer. Truly, the moment felt perfect, and I didn’t even know what was coming. Antoine started playing with his drone, as I drank my wine. He asked me if I wanted to “see this cool feature,” but I was perfectly content drinking my wine, listening to my music, and eating my cheese. He asked again, so I stood up. He was holding the drone controller in his hands and showed me that he “just found out about a feature” where you can set a subject (us) and the drone would circle. (Later I learned that many of the "meetings" he had were really drone training sessions.) I looked down at the controller and saw us on the screen and then saw the drone circling us. As he went to place the controller on the floor, he reached for a pouch. Suddenly he was on one knee, at sunset, next to Mount Rainier, and I was shaking. Upon noticing we were being recorded by the circling drone, I tore off my sweater and knocked off his hat and said ARE YOU PROPOSING?! The next few moments were a complete blur- I think I laughed and cried at the same time. The moment felt absolutely surreal. I paused to “click” that moment. I looked out at the mountain, at the sunset, and into his eyes, and melted into the best moment of my entire life (so far.)