Luke and I met on September 15th, 2013 on an outdoor adventure trip to Buckner's cave in Indiana. This was one of my first outdoor adventure trips through the University of Illinois, and I almost didn't go. I was sitting around a campfire late at night with other members of the group when Luke rolled up fashionably late to the party. Everyone soon went to bed, but Luke and I stayed up all night talking under the stars. Once morning broke and it was time to head to the cave, I took one look at the cave opening and almost cried, but Luke supportively told me to just go for it. Who would have known I would find both my love for caving and my love for my future husband on the same trip!

Because of the pandemic and our multiple canceled trip plans, Luke had to get quite creative on finding the perfect moment to pop the question. As soon as Maine opened to out of state travelers, we jumped on the opportunity to go hiking there. After switching our hiking plan 4 minutes before we got to the trailhead due to crowded trails (Thank goodness for backup plans), we stepped out of the car to a beautiful wooded area. We then hiked through a gorgeous pine grove spotted with fairy castles, with periodic views of the most stunning turquoise water in Maine. As soon as we reached the main cliff overlook, he put our hiking bag down and came over and said "you know I love you and that I want to spend the rest of my life with you, right?". With that, he got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. As he popped open the blue velvet box, what looked like a yellow diamond ring was inside. (We had joked for years about how much I didn't want a yellow stone). Despite this I, of course, said yes to his proposal, I mean this man is the love of my life! He then asked me how much I loved the ring to which I playfully but sincerely responded " well… I...love YOU". To my surprise, he then pulled out an alcohol swab and said "how about now?" and swiped the fabric over the ring. The ring turned from the color of pee to a gorgeous clear stone. I stared in awe, and for a moment I thought that my engagement ring was a mood-changing stone. Little did I know, he had colored the ring with yellow sharpy for this prank (Don't worry folks he tested it first). Moments later, a professional photographer rounded the bend and offered to take our pictures. We then popped some champagne and had a picnic while enjoying the gorgeous views. We then spent the rest of the weekend enjoying copious amounts of seafood and good beer in Portland.

Love doesn't stop just because there is a pandemic. We were fortunate enough to get married by my father in a pine forest at the base of Black Balsam Knob surrounded by our parents, siblings, and my grandparents. After our short ceremony, we climbed to the top of the nearby crest with amazing 360 views of the smoky mountains. We couldn't have wished for a better place to start our lives together, and can’t wait to celebrate this milestone with all of you when it's safe!

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