It’s Going Down!

We know what you're thinking. Why Portland?! First, its a beautiful location. The forest and mountain views. The blooming gardens. It’s gorgeous! Second, its was the first trip we took together as a couple.

She says... Caleb and I crossed paths many times over the years since 2007. We performed together for 1 year of Drum Corps and 3 years with RCC's Marching Band. We were oblivious to each other in those days. And if you remember how he wore his hair back then, you know why I didn't really give him too much thought. Years (and several hair cuts) later, my roommate Kristina's boyfriend Matt was having a party and according to her I had to go because Caleb was interested in me and the only way Matt could convince him to go was if Caleb knew I would be there. He didn't talk to me for most of the party but when it was time to go, he walked me to my car and we talked for a while. Kristina continued to talk him up for the following weeks. She encouraged me to give him a chance and to see where things would go. 5 years later and here we are! He says... In our first two months of dating, I learned a lot about Lorraine. One thing I appreciated was her love to travel and go on adventures. We had hiked plenty of times and seen our fair share of family fun centers. It was time to fly. We planned a weekend trip to Portland because we found a screaming deal on airfare and a hotel. When we arrived at the airport to fly to Portland, we realized two things: we had gotten there 4 hours before our actual departure time and we were flying Spirit. After arriving, we went to the wrong hotel to check in. The hotel we booked was nowhere near Portland. There was no plan whatsoever for the trip so, naturally, we were unprepared for the beautiful rains of Portland. The last day of our trip, we discovered one of us (Lorraine) isn't great at riding a bike. The trip couldn't have gone more wrong and I couldn't have enjoyed my time more. I knew I would be going on many more trips with her after that weekend.

For Caleb and his cousin Sophie's 30th Birthdays, they decided to go to New Orleans for the weekend. So the plan for the day was to do some site-seeing at City Park. As we walked around and admired the scenery, Caleb steered us in the direction of a cute little bridge (Langley Bridge). The bridge overlooks a little bayou surrounded by beautiful trees covered in hanging moss. We walked to the center of the bridge and Caleb told me to, "Look for gators." As I looked, Caleb got down on one knee. I turned to see him and I was shocked. Caleb says, "hey" and nods his head towards me and then to the gorgeous ring he is holding. Still surprised and a little speechless I just stared at him for a couple seconds. I'm thinking, "I need to hear the words!" This can't just be a gift given from a lower perspective. I need to hear the words. Then he says "Will you marry me?" I say, "YES" with tears in my eyes. I look to my left to see his cousins with tears in their eyes. They had filmed the whole thing, of course. Further past them, an older couple having a picnic was clapping. He told me all he wanted for his 30th birthday was for me to be his fiance. Later he tells me, "young Caleb would be proud of him for proposing to me in a South Park shirt."