The Adventure Continues!

This probably wont surprise you, but Nick and Lee first met in person at a bar. The Dubliner isn’t just any bar though. This place has been Nick’s favorite Irish bar ever since he moved to San Diego in 2016. Nick brought many a friend here and he just so happened to be out with a group of his shipmates that night when he met Lee. “Do you like Irish car bombs (an unfortunately named popular drink)?” Nick asked. He lost the race then and still loses to this day! Lee fit in so nicely with the group that he spent the rest of the evening bar hopping. That one night turned in to a whole three day weekend hanging around San Diego. Their unusually lengthy first date lead to more adventures. Even though scorching 29 Palms is around three hours north east of where Nick lives, Lee still commuted down every weekend. From traveling all over New England while Nick had six months of school in Newport, Rhode Island to Lee dragging Nick up and down the Sierra Nevada mountain range, the adventure continued. From exploring the geologically stunning country of Iceland to bringing home their now 6 month old Australian Shepherd named Cooper (the ring bearer), the adventure continued! There is a lot of uncertainty coming with Lee getting out of the Marine Corps and Nick having to move to Alabama with his ship, but one thing is for sure. The adventure continues!

Visiting Iceland had always been a dream for Nick. Having an adventurous spirit like Lee in his life was a perfect way to make this dream become a reality. One day they were both listening to Ed Sheeran’s album, “Divide” when Lee mentioned that they should look up his tour dates. Unfortunately, by then he was no longer touring the US. Fortunately, he would be in Reykjavik, the Capital city of Iceland, right around both Nick and Lee’s birthdays in August. So sparked Nick’s imagination! He created an eight day itinerary to travel around the famed Ring Road. Tickets were purchased in March and thus began the waiting game. Nick had actually had the ring designed, ready and waiting hidden in his closet only a month after that. Were there other opprtunities to propose? Sure. But Nick knew he wanted a huge ending to what was already going to be a trip of a lifetime. Nick carried the ring box hidden inside the case thay usually houses his drone; taking extra care to not let Lee lay a finger on it. Nick was beginning to feel restless that he would never find a location that was surreal yet private enough to keep the proposal intimate. That moment finally came nestled in a quiet valley next to a glacial river. Nick shared some thoughts on whether Lee and him were sure forever is what they could see themselves doing, so there was only one thing left; urge Lee to stand up so that he could pull out the ring and get down on one knee.