Triston graduated college and we decided to celebrate by taking a mini vacation! We were both pretty burnt out on work, so I was very excited to spend time away from Muncie. Driving six and half hours couldn’t happen fast enough. We made it to our AirBnB and explored the town. We went out to eat and walked out to the lighthouse. It was absolutely perfect! Except, it was freezing out, bugs everywhere, and also people walking around. So we decided to walk back to the car and go back to the AirBnB. We get there and settle in. I’m in my most true Hailey fashion: wrapped up in a blanket, eating sour candy, and teasing Triston about how perfect it would be to propose on the trip…. Not even seconds later, he pulls out the ring, gets on his knee, and recites what I’m assuming was the most beautifully thought speech that I unfortunately can’t remember. I was just so excited, because it finally happened! I’m marrying my best friend!

I had a ring ready to go and I needed a place to do it. I always joked that it would be really easy to tell when I was finally going to propose, but I needed to try for a surprise. I started saying little things at the beginning of the year that I wanted to get away after school ended. I was more urgent about it as time went on and we decided we would take a trip. I was planning on going to Turkey Run, this was our first real vacation/trip together. She was onboard, until one day she was just like let’s go to Mackinac Island. I went with it because I didn’t want to give anything away. I was skeptical because there wasn’t a lot of information about what to do there, also it was a 6-hour drive. We get there and start exploring Mackinaw City. I wanted to propose the first day so the second would have that newly engaged magic. There was a light house that overlooked Lake Huron and that is where I was going to do it. The city itself was dreary and the weather was just as depressing. We get out to the lighthouse, and we can barely hear each other over the waves and were shaking from the cold. I freaked out, I was nervous already and just wasn’t feeling it. We go back to the place we were staying, and I was trying to decide what to do. I was scared tomorrow would be just as dreary, I was excited to show her the ring, and I am impatient. So I hyped myself up and proposed. She said yes and everything felt as it should be. Ironically the next day at the island was absolutely gorgeous, perfect proposing conditions.