Meet us in Saginaw!

We met in college down in Rochester. We had mutual friends and ended up being roommates our third year of college. We quickly became close friends over the years. The summer after graduation, Austin went on a boys trip and I went on a family trip. We quickly realized that we liked each other and things took a turn for the better that summer. Our first official date was at the Minnesota State Fair, fitting for Austin. We moved into our little house in Rochester with Lucy, our dog and have lived happily ever after since!

We were on a trip to Big Island Hawaii for my golden birthday. I anticipated a proposal this trip because I mean come on, we are in Hawaii. I always told Austin that I wanted a dramatic proposal somewhere pretty and thoughtful. I never thought that his proposal would turn out the way it did. To say he heard my wishes and overachieved would be an understatement. On the very first full day of being in Hawaii, Austin wanted to head to Mauna Kea Summit for sunset. We have looked at pictures and couldn’t wait. Mauna Kea is one of the many dormant volcanoes on Big Island. Mauna Kea reaches about 14,000 feet above sea level therefore the summit is above the clouds meaning when the weather conditions are perfect, the view is unbelievable. Unfortunately the weather conditions were not great on the day we attempted to visit. Austin’s plans had to change quickly. We pivoted and made our way over to Volcano National Park. Volcano National Park is home to a volcano that has been off and on again erupting since middle December. Unfortunately that night it was not actively erupting but you could still see the orange glow of the lava. It has been a long day and Austin was trying to take pictures. Little did I know he was trying to set up his camera for the perfect lighting (in the dark) to film his proposal meanwhile I was getting crankier by the minute. He finally gave up with the camera and dropped to one knee. Later on Austin told me he was on a deadline. He said he couldn’t propose the next day because it was my birthday and the following day he had a surprised photo shoot booked with a local photographer.