We're Getting Married!

After years of hopping across continents, countries, and states, I landed a job with my dream organization in Fort Worth, Texas. My heart knew it was time to lay down some roots and open myself up to the possibility of finding my forever. My girlfriend Era suggested the dating app "Hinge." I didn't know anyone and had nothing to lose so I joined Hinge. I found Grant almost immediately and in our first conversation we discovered we are both huge fantasy nerds. We decided to meet in person. Our first date almost fell through as there was a 2-hour wait for the brunch spot we selected. We both thought, "Oh no, this is off to a rough start!" Instead of canceling the date, we picked a random spot and ended up having brunch at Social House. The first thing I noticed about Grant were his endless green eyes and his beautiful long beard. The connection was instantaneous. We were so engrossed in conversation we didn't even look at the menu. The waiter started to get annoyed with us as he came back 3 different times and asked if we were ready. We were entranced with wonder and possibility. Dare we say "Love at first sight?"

Grant and I are both adventure junkies and love the outdoors. My best friend (and Matron of Honor) Olga, and her husband Tim have a rental property in Joshua Tree and asked us to come for a visit. Hiking is my absolute favorite activity, so we planned to get up at 4:30am to watch the sunrise in Joshua Tree National Park. I woke up at 4:30am and expected to find everyone still asleep. Much to my great surprise, however, Olga, Tim, and Grant were already awake, with music playing and coffee brewing. I didn't think anything of it at the time. I threw on my hiking boots and said "Let's Go!" Once at the park, we parked the car, grabbed our backpacks and started hiking. About 20-30 minutes into the hike, Olga disappears with her husband Tim, leaving Grant and me alone. Straight ahead of us was a huge rock in the shape of a heart. I was taken aback. I grabbed Grant and said "We have to take a selfie in front of the heart rock!" We place ourselves in front of the rock. My back was to him, as I was taking a panorama photo. I hear Grant say, "honey?" I turn around and there he is on bended knee with the most beautiful ring in a black box. I was so shocked I threw my phone and screamed. "You make my heart swell." I'll never forget those first words before he asked me to marry him. Olga, the unmatched queen of surprises, and Tim came out of hiding with two huge coolers!! (They snuck the coolers into the park the night before). They set out blankets, pillows, candles, flowers, muffins, coffee, orange juice and champagne! Then she says, "the surprises are nowhere near done for the day." She points behind me. I turn around, and there was my big brother, Ryan, with a huge grin on his face. Ryan had driven 9 hours from Sacramento area to be there when Grant proposed. We sat on comfy pillows and listened to music, drank champagne (at 6 o'clock in the morning!), took photos, and soaked in the extraordinary moment.