Blake and I met our sophomore year at Grove City College. We initially met through mutual friends and got to know each other better through sharing a statistics class that same semester.

We managed to think of a few excuses to become better friends that fall. Blake lost his cell phone charger, so he dropped his phone off at my dorm every night in order for me to charge it for him . . . it turns out he had friends on his dorm room hall with the same phone charger. I would ask him if he wanted to study for stats together, knowing perfectly well that neither of us were good enough at statistics to actually be able to help each other.

It would be a lot easier if I could say that we started dating and the next five years were seamless and free of confusion. They weren't. We studied abroad opposite semesters our junior year, and after graduating college, I took a job in the Pacific Northwest, while Blake prepped for a year-long STINT with Campus Crusade for Christ (CRU) in Fiji.

It was while Blake was in Fiji that we decided we didn't want our lives going in opposite directions any longer. Months later, God opened the door for a job opportunity and living situation that allowed Blake to move to Bellingham, Washington after completing his time in Fiji. After our second round of 15-month separations, we were finally in the same city!

With only a few weeks left in Washington before I moved to the Midwest, Blake suggested we go on one more hike at my favorite Bellingham spot, Oyster Dome. I didn't suspect anything until the day prior to the hike, as Blake went out of his way to tell me that he was excited for our hike the next day. Blake was very accommodating to my love of hiking out in Washington, but he had never EVER talked about being excited for hikes. I couldn't sleep that night.

The following evening, we set out on a 1.5 hour uphill hike. I typically zone in on the fresh air, trees, and pretty scenery, but on June 18, I wanted nothing more than a speedy elevator to take me directly to the lookout point. As we finally neared the top, I told myself over and over again to not get my hopes up, and to just enjoy our time together.

We finally reached the lookout point. It was completely empty, and I was mildly disappointed to not be greeted by friends (Wasn't a photographer supposed to be around to catch the magic moment?!). The next 30 seconds were amusing as Blake asked me small-talk questions ("what do you think of the scenery?"), and it's honestly the first time I think we've ever felt awkward around each other. The next thing I know, he's pulling a ring box out of his pocket and getting down on one knee.

Oh, and then a friend with a camera popped out from behind a rock and started snapping photos of the whole event :)