Our first date was to Glory Hole. I was bound and determined to go with my church group even though a freak snowstorm hit that day. It was snowing hard and the Hole was an hour away down highway 16. I invited Adam to go with us, and I think he came because he was a little worried about the road conditions. We came to the church parking lot and waited. No one else showed up, but I would not be deterred. We set out, just the two of us, on a very slick and snowy scenic highway. We couldn't turn around despite the danger because neither of us wanted to appear to be a weenie. We passed a gathering of men running down the highway doing a tough man contest. One of them was wearing a full on skeleton costume. The weird men offered us chili down the road if we lost heart. We considered, I openly admitted that I was afraid they may be a malicious cult, and Adam agreed. We pressed on. When we finally reached the trailhead of the Glorious Hole, we disembarked the car and bundled ourselves up for a couple of miles of hiking down to a waterfall in a cave (which is what the "Glory Hole" is). It was so quiet and peaceful. Adam had a whole bunch of accessories dangling from his bag and I remember enjoying his sense of style, his boy scout skills, and his conversation. I remember that he liked that I brought trail wine. After we had been at the Glory Hole for an hour or so, we decided to climb back out. There was some tribulation getting the car's frozen tires out of a rut, and after Adam expertly navigated the car out of it's parking spot, we thought we would head..... To Eureka Springs, (also an hour away from home) because he had never been and we were both feeling lucky from not having died or gotten injured at all on the way in. We ate at Aquarius Taqueria (rip, it's closed down now). My big toes throbbed from the cold, but I was so into hanging out with Adam that I kept finding things to do to extend our outing.

It was the sweet spot in the COVID 19 pandemic. You know, that beautiful time last June; Everyone was getting vaccinated, things were looking great for the summer of 2021. So great, in fact, that Haley and I felt comfortable enough to fly to New York City to attend Jackson and Fran Fisher's wedding. We seized the opportunity to plan a week long vacation in the big city, visiting old friends, singing Neil Diamond in the Statue of Liberty's torch or whatever. Leading up to the trip, I remember being absolutely ragged with stress because I was also trying to plan a youth mission trip, from which I would leave a day early after being relieved by a couple from my church, fly from Little Rock, and meet up at an AirBnB in Long Island City with Haley, who would be flying Northwest Arkansas earlier in the day. It was logistically intricate! Another layer of nervousness was added by the fact that I was planning a big "will you marry me" style surprise for Haley, to be revealed some point during the week we were in NYC. I didn't know when I would do it or where, because I didn't know the first thing about whens or wheres when it came to New York. Looking back, it's funny that I was so nervous about it all. Haley and I had been talking about getting married for the better part of a year, and had even begun going to premarital counseling. I tried to get her to shop for an engagement ring with me, but she always said she'd rather have one that I made myself. I have a method of making rings from vintage silver currency by which I tap them with a spoon and drill and file them until they are jewelry. The first silver ring I ever made that way started out as a 1964 quarter, and it goes on my left pinky. It happens to fit Haley's left ring finger perfectly which is probably where she got the idea. The ring stayed hooked to a carabiner that I kept on my person. Fran and Jackson's wedding was perfect. It was the most fun we'd had since February 2020.

It is a sublime feeling to have all your ride-or-die friends all in one place. It was like a high school reunion but just of the people you like. The following day, I booked tickets for a sightseeing cruise of the Hudson river at sunset that promised "Unparalleled views of NYC at dusk". Haley and I awoke on June 29th, and decided to wear our matching T shirts. Then we decided that, even though everyone told us it wasn't worth the effort, we wanted to see Coney Island. On our way to the Court Square station, we took a really cool picture in front of some graffiti. We rode the train for the hour it takes to get to Coney Island, which happened to be the end of line. Haley and I had an absolute ball on Coney Island. I liked the amusement parks and the fact that Nathan's Hot Dogs serves beer, and Haley especially liked that the boardwalk had public restrooms and water fountains. We saw a man catch a sculpin from the pier. After spending most of the day enjoying ourselves and enjoying seeing people enjoy themselves, we were on another train all the way across the city to Pier 84 at Hudson Bay Park. I think it may have even taken a bus to get there. But we got there! And soon we were taking souvenir pictures and learning about the flotation devices on the deck of a Circle Line Cruise ship. "I can't wait any longer", thought Adam, "it has to be on this boat." But there were people all around us. The whole deck of the ship was crowded with auditorium-style seating. Not the most romantic... Once we were underway, though, they announced that we could stand on the bow of the ship. I went down to check it out, and it was far more suitable for a proposal. Only a few people standing, water spraying, but not too violently, and magnificent views of the city as promised. I went back and fetched Haley, and did my best not to let the ring go overboard. The sun was setting; the time felt right.

I handed my phone to a trustworthiest-looking stranger next to us, and asked if she'd take a picture of Haley and I. I think my actual words were "Hey can you take a picture of this, I'm about to do something." God bless that stranger. I got down, I said, "Haley, I love you. Will you marry me?" and held aloft a bright yellow carabiner with a ring wrapped around it. Haley pretended like she was going to say no, as a goof, but she said yes. I could hear our impromptu photographer screaming. People were gasping and applauding. Haley was smiling and kissing me. We were engaged! As the sunset was at its most beautiful, the cruise took us close enough to the Statue of Liberty that we could see the ringlets in her hair. I was ready to be back on land where the champagne wasn't $20 a glass. We disembarked, and went to a place that was just called "The Restaurant" to celebrate over gnocchi and prosecco. We updated our relationship statuses and braced ourselves for the notifications. That is the story of our trip to New York. A lot got left out. Little moments and memories that nobody cares about but my fiancée and I. Haley is the very best company to have along on any sort of trip, journey, or adventure. We are very good at helping each other have an absolute ball, no matter what. Even if the airport is holding our bags hostage. I'm very excited to make more memories and spend the rest of our days together.