We are getting married!

Alicia and Lawrence were spending the holiday weekend in Yakima Washington, camping with some close friends. They wanted to escape the cool/wet Bellevue weather and were happily greeted by the warm Yakima sun. Upon arrival, their friends Lucas and Kassidy, presented the idea of taking a small day trip up a nearby mountain. The plan was to drive towards Mount Rainier. They’d be above the clouds and only a short hike away from a beautiful glacier lake. Alicia and Lawrence eagerly agreed to this adventure. They packed up their swimsuits/sunscreen and a couple of additional layers. The drive up the mountain was lush and scenic. As they climbed in elevation, the green PNW landscape and blue skies suddenly turned into a cloudy winter wonderland. Everyone was shocked by the extreme change in scenery. Blankets of snow covered the sides of the road and the once endless view, was condensed by a thick fog. Snow in July? In that moment the only thought that Alicia had, while looking down at her outfit of choice, was “Nope. No thank you”. Lucas, the leader of the adventure, commented that he had never seen the mountain snowy like this in July. Everyone looked at each other with a mix of emotions, but the common thought was ‘brrr’. The four of them decided that they made it this far so they would at least check it out. Alicia was not keen to the idea of exiting the vehicle. As soon as that car door opened Alicia could feel her asthma flaring up from the ice cold air and high elevation. Reluctantly, Alicia got out of the car and scavenged for any extra clothing items she could find. Meanwhile she made sure her discomfort was known to her companions. Three thin layers and one bucket hat later; she was ready to go. Lawrence, being the macho man that he is, was wearing short-shorts and a tank top. Not even his huge muscles could keep him warm. His sheepish face said it all “oops”. Thankfully Lucas came to the rescue. He saved the day, supplying Lawrence with waterproof pants and a jacket that he had tucked away. Without those, the group likely would have called things off and gone home. Alicia did not know it at the time, but Lucas and Lawrence had been conspiring up a proposal earlier in the day. When Lucas described a majestic mountain as a potential proposal backdrop, Lawrence was quick to agree. Lucas and Lawrence scoped out the treacherous landscape and snowed out trail. Meanwhile Alicia was still waddling up the road with very little pep in her step. Once he realized the trail was not walkable, Lucas offered to change the plan altogether. At this point Lawrence had already had the engagement ring for 6 months. There were at least 2 failed proposal dates prior to this due to inclement weather. Lawrence had made up his mind that it was now or never. Mother Nature couldn’t stop him. “It’s happening”. Lucas now had to take on the challenge of distracting the cold and pouty Alicia while Lawrence retrieved the ring from the backpack. Kassidy offered to take a photo of Alicia and Lawrence before they made the trip back down. With her 3 layers of pants, Alicia wobbled her way up onto the snow bank, feeling the moisture permeate her shoes and socks. As Alicia and Lawrence stood perched on the top of the mountain, they felt an immediate sense of calm (they may have just been numb). The moment was one of those moments that was perfect in its own weird way. They were cold but content looking off into the snowy abyss. After a few moments, Lawrence turned to Alicia and popped the big question, making sure to remind her that “this had been a long time coming”. Alicia was giggling in disbelief. When she realized what was happening, she immediately threw off her bucket hat. With Lawrence on one knee, she said YES 🩷