David and I met at work. We were both newly hired engineers at work and we happened to be cubicle neighbors. We chatted a bit, mostly about work or school related stuff but for the most part didn't talk much outside of work. Until one fateful conversation... I was dutifully working and took a quick minute to make a phone call to plan a camping trip with my best friend. David, being like Wilson from Home Improvement overheard the conversation and decided he needed to get to know the woman who enjoys camping so much. After a couple of facebook messages back and forth, David invited me to hang out with him and some of his friends over the 4th of July in 2019. I agreed to meet up with the group, and the rest is history.

Throughout our relationship David and I discovered how much we truly had in common and grew closer through our shared interests. We often went tent camping and hung out with friends on his family's property, went for hikes on the local trails after work, and kayaked on the Tuscarawas. David would reminisce about his time as a Boy Scout and all the backpacking trips he got to go on as a kid. I have always wanted to backpack but never found anyone who shared that interest, so obviously I bugged him to take me on a trip. After some dutiful preparation and a last minute audible to avoid nasty weather, we were on our way to Red River Gorge for my first ever backpacking trip. The group was David, his good friend, Dale, Dale's girlfriend, Juliana, and myself. We arrived to the trail head in the early afternoon on Friday, October 16th, 2020. Our plan was to hike in a loop and make it back to the car on Sunday. After a couple hours of an uphill climb, we reached a camp site set a little ways off the trail and decided to setup for the evening. After getting settled we explored the area to search for firewood and noticed a short trail through the trees. This trail happened to lead to a gorgeous overlook of the valley and mountains. Our group decided we should take photos, and me, having an aversion for photos, took a little convincing. David and I stood, backs against the amazing view, when David stepped away for a second. But he didn't actually step away, I looked over to see he was now down on one knee, asking me to marry him. Now we get to spend the rest of our lives together and I can't wait!