We're Getting Married!

We seemed to have shown up in each other’s lives at just the right time. During summer 2016, we lived opposite one another in an apartment building in St Helena, California. We were neighbors! It was a white victorian-style townhouse only a couple of blocks from Main Street. We had noticed each other in passing and speaking only briefly in public. Then, finally, the day came when we officially ran into each other in the parking area. We struck up a lovely conversation about ourselves, our jobs, and what we enjoyed. We shared so much in common. In the exciting time that followed we quickly fell in love and our bond grew. We adventured outside, road tripped and traveled, rescued cats, made new friendships, and enjoyed countless dates in/out. We knew from the beginning that we wanted to be together forever.

This past November we went on a weekend trip to Arnold and Yosemite with Vanessa (Danny’s Sister) and her fiancé Daniel. We enjoyed two nights in Arnold — wine tasting, hiking around Big Trees, cooking dinner in our A-Frame and playing games into the night. Then, we traveled to Rush Creek Lodge right outside Yosemite, where we stayed our last two nights of our trip. And with any trip to Yosemite, a big hike was in order. After having just hiked Half Dome in September, Clouds Rest was next on the list. On Sunday morning of November 11 (Veteran’s Day…Allison’s Birthday), we woke up to darkness and sleepily piled into the car to drive out to Tenaya Lake where we embarked on a 15-mile round trip hike to Clouds Rest. After 7.5 miles, we finally reached the top, dropped our packs, and took in the warmth of the sun on our faces as we stared straight ahead at Half Dome. After snapping a few pictures of Vanessa and Daniel, we walked towards the edge to pose in front of Half Dome. Smiling, Allison looked down as Danny unveiled a small wooden box from behind his back. After sweet words and exchanges of excitement, Danny placed the delicate ring he had chosen, on Allison’s finger. As we stepped back from our joyful embrace, Vanessa & Daniel were pulling champagne out of their backpacks. Sitting atop Clouds Rest, the four of us totally alone at 10,000 feet, we cheersed to our future together, as a family.