Love to last a lifetime...

Funny story. We met each other in 7th grade. Dated for about a week or two until Lily's mother found out. She of course, like any reasonable mother who finds out her 12-year-old daughter has a boyfriend, told Lily to break it off; she listened well. Jump to the following year, and we started dating again. Unfortunately, it only lasted a month (we were still children). Fast forward 6 years and we crossed paths again. We began talking, rekindling our friendship, in which we both realized that maybe there was something left unfinished. Hey...third time's the charm, right? Here we go again! 11 years have gone and flown by, and since then, we've never looked back. Also, when Lily's mom found out about our relationship this time around, Lily didn't have to call it quits.

We planned a trip to Colorado Springs to visit one of Lily's best friends. It was a nice, long, 18-hour drive, but luckily, we got there safely and in one piece. We had fun at the zoo on our first day and experienced amazing views on the second. We also had the pleasure of exploring a cave while listening to the hauntings that surround it. The following day, we were set to see the wonders of nature and its rock formations at Garden of the Gods. The sun was blazing down with very few clouds to call on for shade. However, that didn't stop us and we hiked on through. All the rock formations were truly breathtaking, but of course, every 30 minutes or so Mikey would say, "Hey love, see that? It's a rock!" All of the jokes made the hike lighthearted and fun, and definitely took our mind off the heat. We started to reach the area where the rocks began to elevate and the view looking down was beautiful. With every turn of the head, there was such a breathtaking view. Mikey decided this was where he wanted to make a core memory for both of us. He asked Lily's friend to take a video of the two against the gorgeous backdrop, knelt down on one knee, and popped the question! Lily was crying tears of joy and was so over the moon about what was happening that she even gave Mikey the wrong hand! It's definitely a moment to remember, and one we'll never forget. All the teasing about rocks was well worth it in the end, especially because it was on those same rocks that he knelt on one knee.