HERE WE GO

Ryan and Molly have known of each other's existence back when Molly and Kyle (Ryan's 'little' brother) were in high school together ('05-'09).. but their loins didn't get ignited until their 4th of July trip to Lake Tullock in 2016. They were out on the boat and Molly, being the bold tigress she is, approached Ryan and asked bluntly "Can I make out with you?". Ryan mustered up the greatest pick up line in his arsenal and responded with "uhhh, YEAH!".... A few awkward dates, a few country concerts, a few arguments, and a lot of laughs later they decided their "just friends" attitude was a facade better left in 2016... Ryan and Molly have been living together in Livermore since December, 2018 and have been slowly turning the house into their home.

Molly grew up frequenting Yosemite with her family so when she found out Ryan had never been, she insisted on a weekend trip. Saturday, February 15th they started out on what was meant to be a 9.4 mile hike up Snow Creek Trail. A long walk from the car and mistaken directions to the trailhead (cough, Molly) resulted in an additional 2 miles. Switchback after switchback they ascended off the Valley floor towards the top. A couple grueling hours later, they traveled off trail to a rocky outcrop with a perfect view of Half Dome. Molly completed her mediocre Instagram video, turned around, and noticed Ryan barreling towards her with an almost frightening look of determination on his face. When he stopped short of tackling her, she noticed the ring box, yelped and threw her phone down. Ryan got down on one knee, opened the box, and... Molly blurted out "holy shit!"... He asked her to marry her, she gladly accepted and they celebrated with a couple of Plinys and facetime calls to the parents. To top off the best day of their lives, they stayed the night at the Groveland Hotel in Groveland, about 45 minutes outside of the park. When the hotel owners, Doug and Jen, discovered they were newly engaged they took them into the basement wine cellar, let them choose a bottle of bubbly, and the four of them chatted and drank the night away- until other guests complained about the noise. THEN they arrived home the next day to a small surprise engagement party put on by Molly's closest friends and their families (with Ryan's help). Truly a perfect weekend.