celebrate with us!

I was at a friend's house for ladies night, she said that neighbor Tom was going to stop by. But, it was ladies night, no boys allowed. She told us that he had broken his ankle and Tom was just "Tom", so he was allowed for a bit. He hobbled in on his pegged leg, I was in my workout clothes having just gone running or something so wasn't I feeling particularly "cute" although, that didn't stop Tom. Afterwards, he inquired to her about me and so, she set us up! We went on a few dates. I wasn't sure about this "mountain biker dude" yet, so I friend-zoned him. True to Tom's go-with-the-flow self, his response was "okay, let's just be friends!" Since both of us were recovering from injuries, we were perfect "early adventure partners" easing back into things - slowly hiking and climbing. I was captivated by his humor, his adventurous spirit (he insisted on hiking up a mesa with his pegged leg because the dog needed to get out!), and the ease of talking candidly with him for hours and hours. Since we were friends we also talked about our recent dates with other people, this sparked something.. I didn't want Tom to date other people! So, true to my indecisive self, I asked Tom if I could un-friend zone him and if he wanted to go on proper dates again.. to this he replied "Sure!". Needless to say, we went on a few more proper dates. Izzy was a great wing dog.

We were hiking up Cerro Toco Peak in the Atacama Desert in Chile at the beginning of our world trip. Tom kept encouraging me to hike to the top, I really didn't want to. The more he said "I promise you this will be the best summit of your life" the more I was determined not to go. The clouds were covering the peak. How could this be the best summit if we can't see anything? So, I stopped at 17,600' above sea level, unknowingly, the highest point either of us had ever been (1000' shy of the summit). I turned around to get water from Tom, thinking he would continue on but there he was, on one knee, in the snow with no one else around. It was perfect. He said "you don't have to summit this peak, but I promise to take you to the highest places on earth if you'll let me". Or something like that, I don't completely remember because I was just so excited! And totally caught off guard! I was then filled with so much adrenaline we made it to the summit, the clouds parted and we had such an amazing view on top of the world. It was complete bliss. Oh... and I said yes!