I'll just jump right in... So, after attending the wedding of Chelsea and Jack in Tahoe on our way to a long-anticipated week of Grand Canyon whitewater rafting, we get off the plane in Las Vegas, and Allegra Coleman jumps up from a slot machine to surprise me -- she's coming on the rafting trip!! I was overjoyed and in disbelief at the incredibly sweet gesture of bringing the other person in the world who means the most to me in on this special trip. Halfway through said trip, I got very sick and, as almost always happens in these circumstances due to my profession as a teacher, I lost my voice. On the day of the biggest rapids, a violent(ly fun for the healthy rafters) squall, and general crazy weather, I remained tucked in the back of the boat where the splash is minimal, sitting upright with my chin resting on my life jacket, straw hat tied into said life jacket to cover my face and hopefully not get blown away in a crazy gust, passed out for the majority of the day and generally feeling miserable at missing out. (SO MUCH BITTER FOMO.) That night, we played one of our favorite group games at camp -- Loaded Questions -- because I could participate without speaking. Our group loves to laugh, and we had one of our funniest rounds yet with the submission of the phrase "Lemon Slice" in response to several different questions. (Kinda had to be there...) Trust me when I say it was uproariously funny to all those playing. I did regain my speaking voice within a day, and felt mostly recovered by the end of the trip, which is punctuated by a magnificent helicopter ride out of the canyon in groups of 5-6. After waking up at 4.45am for a dark breakfast and the last rounds of packing/breaking down camp, we all lined up to be told our place in the helicopter line -- ostensibly decided by weight, luggage, and height. We milled around, our group's numbers slowly dwindling down as we waited; my sister convinced me to wear contact lenses rather than the dorky-but-functional transition lenses I'd been sporting all week, through some inception-style wizardry that I can't fully recall. Nate reported that due to his "being a fatass" and also the tallest member of the group, we would be last to leave in the whole group, likely with the extra luggage and a random or two from the next departing rafting group. I was slightly disappointed to have to wait so long for my first helicopter ride ever, but shrugged it off. That's when Nate asked me to come check out this cool area behind a few boulders and loose rocks to get a little privacy before leaving. I followed him around and down, and that's when the proposal happened. Before getting down on one knee, Nate told me he had been meaning to ask me something, but had grown concerned when I'd lost my voice -- so he'd created two handy notecards just in case. One said "YES," and the other, "NO (scribbled out) LEMON SLICE". I didn't even give him a chance to open the ring box before pouncing and saying yes. We scrabbled back up to the helipad to the sounds of cheers and applause from a group of strangers in the next round of airlifts, and boarded a private helicopter ride that Nate arranged to be extended to 15 minutes rather than the standard 5. It was one of the most magnificent experiences of my entire life -- I've rarely seen anything quite so beautiful. Once we landed, we were met with phones snapping pictures and our entire group -- all of whom were in on the surprise months in advance -- rushed us for hugs, photos and a look at the ring. I can honestly say it was one of the happiest moments of my life. When my newly minted fiancé suggested we leave our phones off until after lunch to avoid the Facebook insanity after a week away, I happily agreed. Fast forward one small aircraft ride and a party bus lift to the Bellagio, where we'd long planned to stay for hot showers, private bathrooms and buffet indulgence after the week outdoors. Nate told me we had a 1.30 lunch reservation to celebrate with the whole Canyon group, so we checked in (receiving a cheap upgrade from the newlywed concierge, who was utterly charmed by our engagement story), cleaned up, and headed down to lunch. We arrived two minutes early and were told we were the last to show up. I found this odd, especially given that at least one member of our group (rhymes with con...) is somewhat infamously tardy. Well, we strolled into a back room with closed doors... and the room not only had almost our entire rafting trip group at a table, but was also packed with my parents, my best friend Nathalie, a couple of our close friends, Nate's aunt Chris, Nate's cousin Ariel and his wife Yan + family whom I adore, Nate's dad Phil and stepmom Sandi. My lifelong friend Maggie was unable to attend due to exams, but sent her regrets -- I was COMPLETELY surprised and overwhelmed by how much effort Nate put into making this day so unbelievably memorable and special. So many of my favorite people were there to celebrate and pig out with us, and I had no idea any of this was being planned for me behind the scenes. That night, we enjoyed a fantastic engagement dinner at Momofuku, one of my favorite restaurants from my days in NYC, with a carefully selected menu (by Nate, of course) that even included a surprise ramen course (my favorite). I never could have dreamt up a more spectacular proposal, and I certainly never imagined I'd be lucky enough to be marrying someone so wonderful. Cheers to continuing to share my life with this amazing human!