We're getting married!

We were both on a quest to find a more deep and meaningful relationship. As we both scoured through the doldrums of online dating feeling as though our time would never come... faith would have something else in store. For the stars would align and we would both end up swiping right on Hinge at the right time. A casual coffee date followed by a 6 mile hike through the Santa Cruz Mountains started our journey off on the right foot... The rest is more or less history! We clearly hit it off - fell in love with each others families, explored the world together, moved across country (and back!), added a 4-legged furry child to the family. We are now settled in our "forever home" in beautiful Washington.

Blake was *very* eager to take a small "hike" before a "brunch" the morning of January 17th. Hikes were not out of the ordinary for us as we love the outdoors, but never had Aleigh seen Blake excited for a brunch, let alone offer up the idea. Warning bell number one. Though he had been planning this day weeks, Aleigh was not too thrown off by the idea - she was just excited to finally go out to brunch! Warning bell number two. The "hike" was a small trek up a few flights of stairs that overlooked the river in Austin. It really was quite a beautiful location and Aleigh wanted to take a minute to admire the view but Blake was *super* adamant about walking to "a better look out down the path" and proceeded to guide her down to a small rocky area that gave way to the beautiful landscape along the Colorado River and a perfect spot to admire the view. Blake was breathing uncharacteristically fast and uneven, so much so that Aleigh pointed it out - the stairs were really not bad. Warning bell number three. Blake immediately began listing off all the adventures we had been on together - from Germany to Japan to Greece and England, to Portugal and yes Disney - and all the fun "hikes" in between. About a minute into this monologue he had to pull out his phone to "read off what [he] had wanted to say". HOLD ON A MINUTE - was this actually happening? The the next few minutes were a blur, figuratively and physically as our eyes were tearing up, but next thing you know we were ENGAGED! Not only that, but Aleigh's sweet and ever thoughtful sister had kindly arranged for a local photographer to hide out in the bushes to capture this moment. We will forever cherish these photos! We did indeed head off to brunch to celebrate the occasion but the surprises did not stop there! Sneaky Blake had arranged for both his parents and Aleigh's mom to fly into Austin to participate in the celebration! We ended the momentous day at our favorite local restaurant, Papadeux.