Steve and I had been planning a hike with our dogs for Memorial Day Weekend for quite a number of weeks. The cage for the truck had finally been completed, we'd picked a place- Beacon Rock (Steve had been when he was younger, and I had never), all we needed was the weather to cooperate and for us to load up and go. We spent the morning packing snacks (both people and dog), lots of water (both people and dog) and dressing in layers. We diligently watched the weather for weeks leading up to this anticipated weekend, and kept our fingers crossed for a break in the rain. Steve suggested that we move the hike to Sunday rather then our original planned date of Monday, since he said that there was more of a possibility of nice weather that day. Sunday turned out to be great weather for a hike, dry but not too hot, overcast but bright enough to snatch some great pictures.
Let me walk you through our day...
In the morning, as I said, we packed up snacks and water, loaded up the dogs and headed to the store to grab some makings for a picnic lunch.
As we headed towards Beacon Rock, Steve and I had this great idea for a snack. I had previously told him how AMAZING Top Burger fries are and told him that he was truly missing out since he had yet to try them. So since it was on the way, we made a pit stop to snag some yummy warm fries and some ice cream for the dogs.
They LOVED it! Steve captured all these great pictures as the dogs chowed down on their yummy treats! He even got this one...
We are still getting some good laughs over this one!
After our treat/snack pit stop, we continued on our way up to Beacon Rock. The drive was nice and we had a great time watching the dogs in the back of the truck. They love it back there! Nothing like fresh air to wear them out!
We arrived at Beacon Rock, unloaded the dogs and began our hike. There were quite a few people up there, and the trails are pretty narrow so we, as well as the dogs, had to adjust to staying in our own space. On the way up I took some pictures that captured the fantastic views that Beacon Rock offers.
We had finally reached the top. Dogs were still in good spirits and Steve and I were taking in the breathtaking view. The top of Beacon Rock is quite a tiny place, and once you get more then a few people or dogs up there, it feels even smaller. I was off in my own world snapping pictures of the scenery and of our dogs, having no clue why Steve would want to stay up in that crowded area for more then a few minutes.
As we stood up at the top, more and more people and dogs reached the top as well. It became a very crowded place and I kept asking and wondering why Steve wanted to keep hanging out up there rather then head back down towards a less crowded place. Finally he gave in and we headed back down. Not too far down the trail, Steve stopped me in a little alcove, got down on one knee and asked me to be his forever. I wanted to capture that special moment for us forever. Here is a picture of us right after the special moment as well as the location on the trail where he asked me.
I was in complete shock, and honestly thought he was joking. I couldn't believe that this was really happening, right here, right now. It was so romantic and so perfect for us. Steve had wanted to have our family there with us when he did it, and he managed to make a special moment for us, even more special by having our furry kids with us. Although I think they were more so wondering why we were stopping, and why I was crying and trying to let others pass us, they stayed calm throughout the moment and let us enjoy.
Once we reached the bottom (and were still in bliss-land) I asked a couple to take our first picture as an official engaged couple.
We loaded the dogs up in the back of the truck again, unloaded our picnic lunch and sat together at a picnic table at the bottom of Beacon Rock and enjoyed a fantastic lunch together. We laughed and shared thoughts about the special moment and I think we both realized that we couldn't be any happier!
It started to sprinkle on us while we were eating lunch, so we packed everything up and began to head back home. While we were driving up to Beacon Rock, we saw a place that we had wanted to stop and take some pictures, so on the way back down, we did.
While we were there, another couple came up and offered to take some pictures of us, if we took some pictures of them. It was a great place to capture our moment, and the pictures turned out great!
We came home, called our family and told them the good news! Everyone was excited for us and we were happy as could be. We ended the evening with a date out to dinner. Steve couldn't have made the day more perfect for me! I cannot wait to spend my forever with him. ♥
