Melanie & Christopher
THE PROPOSAL
After weeks apart, Keefer and Melanie were reuniting in Montana in July of 2023. Keefer had been out west doing paleo fieldwork, where Melanie would fly in to meet him. What should’ve been a simple travel day turned chaotic.
Her Pittsburgh flight finally boarded at 11 pm, with delay upon delay. After landing in Minneapolis in the middle of the night, she stayed at a nearby hotel. She tossed and turned for a few hours, eager to get on her plane to Billings.
Exhausted and grumpy, she wasn’t thrilled when Keefer insisted they take the long, winding route through Red Lodge to Beartooth Pass Summit. But the views at “Inspiration Point,” nearly 11,000 feet above sea level, were stunning.
Keefer ran back to the Jeep to “grab his phone,” but really, he got her ring. He secretly asked a woman nearby to film and then got down on one knee. Melanie said yes!
They later discovered she never hit record and it’s a moment they’ll never forget.
On July 27, 2023, Melanie and Chris were engaged.
For all the days along the way
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