It's time to Celebrate!

I, Katie, made the whirlwind decision not to return home to Kansas from my five day vacation to Alaska in the fall of 2015 after graduating from KU a few months earlier. The Blom family in Port Alsworth offered me a home and while I knew nothing of how that decison would drastically change my life over the next three years I am SO thankful I said yes. Within a couple days of living with them, Scott Blom told me that he had someone in mind for me, but he wouldn't tell me who. A few weeks later a certain tall, dark and handsome hunter got back to the village and then I "knew" who he meant! It was a couple years of friendship and real life lived in Port Alsworth before we started dating, but I will never forget that initial gut instinct that this was the man I was meant to be with.

It started with me flying into Anchorage a day earlier than expected, which also happened to be the day that Jon was going to go ring shopping! I suprised him at the airport in a purple wig. So you could say he had to recalculate a bit. The next week back home in Port Alsworth we planned a walk around the runway to check on a friends house and get some fresh air. Nothing special in my eyes. Little did I know what was planned! Jon kept his cool and feigned nonchelance in our conversation. He pulled to off the path into the woods, paused a second, then took another step peering into the dark woods. I started to ask what was going on, there were no animals out this time of year. He grabbed my hand a pulled me forward, "Okay, let's go," he said. He walked us out onto the ice of the frozen pond. Out in the distance I would make out four cedar trees drilled into holes in the ice, twinkle lights strung around them in their branches. A friend, enlisted in the scheme, was out on the ice, frantically trying to pull start the generator that had died just MINUTES before we had arrived on the scene. He skated away on the ice, yelling behind him an apology, and went back to his hiding place in the woods. It didn't ruin the surprise at all. Jon got the lights going. I started to hyperventilate and completely forget the words coming out of either of our mouths. He got down on one knee in inches of icy slush water and asked me to marry him. I said yes! Then the friends hiding in the trees lit off fireworks (of course, it's Jon Burrows) and we all celebrated!