One of Traci and I’s favorite things to do in the summer is to be outside and visit new places. A few weeks prior, Traci had saw an Instagram post from a friend of a beautiful vineyard in the hills of Hood River with a breathtaking view of Mt. Hood. We decided that sometime this summer we were going to go there and visit. When proposal preparation started, I knew this would be the place to do it. We made plans to go on August 14th. Little did Traci know that I had bought a ring and hired a private photographer to capture the entire moment. When we first got to the vineyard, we set up a picnic in the yard area and started drinking our first flight of wine. If anyone knows Traci, they know she loves to take photos wherever she goes. So, as you would assume as soon as we got to the vineyard, she was anxious to take pictures in all the various gardens. We planned to finish our first flight and then take pictures in the lavender garden. As we finished our drinks, we walked over to take pictures at the lavender garden. It was just us two and one other lady around the lavender gardens, so it was perfect. The other lady being the photographer I had hired. When the photographer saw us struggling to take a selfie of the two of us that included the beautiful view of Mt. Hood, she offered her help. As she began taking pictures of us, she secretly led us to a predetermined spot that would be perfect for the proposal. At this point, I was shaking! She led us to the spot and gave me the keyword phrase of “this is the spot.” At which point I dropped down to a knee, with my voice quivering, and hands shaking and asked the women of my dreams to marry me. Tears streaming down her face and in complete shock, she said YES!!