We're Getting Married!

Jake and Julie met at one of St. Louis's classiest establishments, Mike Talayna's Juke Box, on a Tuesday evening. Julie was out with her friend Chudi to celebrate his birthday and Jake was out with a crazy lady named Sarah. Sarah and Chudi knew each other so the four of them decided to hang out, and enjoy the sweet sounds of college students singing karaoke. Julie and Jake found that they had a shared interest in volleyball, and they quickly exchanged phone numbers. After that night, they started seeing each other around town because of their new shared friends. Jake asked Julie to a Blues game, and after that it was pretty much history!

Jake and Julie planned a camping trip in Yosemite with their friend Matt. They knew they all wanted to try Yosemite's biggest hike, Half Dome. To hike to the summit of Half Dome you need a permit to go up the last 400 feet, the infamous cables. They all put in for Friday- no permit. Saturday- no permit. Sunday- no permit. Monday- JACKPOT! They had secured four permits for Monday, and planned on giving the fourth to the first permit-less person they encountered. The morning of Monday, September 23rd came very quickly for Julie, Jake, and Matt. They were up and ready to head out of their campsite and to the trail head at 3:30 am. It was completely dark as they drove the hour and half to the trail head. They began their ascent with the lights of their headlamps and the camaraderie of the many other people making the trek that day. The trio continued up and up. Past two waterfalls, a meadow, and up through a casual pine forest. Shortly before the sub-dome, they came across Pavel from the Czech Republic looking for a permit for the cables. Pavel graciously accepted their permit and joined the crew from there. After more than 9 miles of hiking they'd made it to the cables! FINALLY! This section is steep with hundred plus foot drop offs on either side of the trail. The cables are two perpendicular metal ropes drilled into the slick granite with poles attached to the cables that stick into small holes in the rock. Each set of poles is connected by an approximately three foot long wooden board. To ascend the cables you grab the cables and scurry up from board to board, avoiding other people, and trying not to look down. The crew worked their way up and made it to the summit! They were all relieved and feeling very accomplished. Matt offered to take Julie and Jake's photo to commemorate their accomplishment and that's when Jake got down on one knee and asked Julie to be his wife... she said yes through sweaty tears!