In June 2014, Gregg and I were lucky enough to go on a trip with his family to Southern California. The time we spent at the Disneyland and California Adventure parks truly was magical and we had a great time. This trip enabled me to see how well the K family gets along and functions as a team despite the chaos of travel. They truly are exceptional people and I love spending time with them.
Gregg and I stayed two extra days to relax and explore our surroundings after everyone else headed home. We decided to drive 50 miles west of downtown Los Angeles to hike the Mishe Mokwa trail to Sandstone Peak aka Mount Allen, the highest peak in the Santa Monica mountains. It was a bright and sunny day and we were excited to expand our hiking experience beyond Oahu together.
This hike began like any other for me; with an initial sense of excitement quickly followed by a concern that I couldn’t make it all the way. After a while I began to settle in and enjoy the scenery and wildlife around us. After about an hour and a half, I began to wonder why it didn’t seem like we were anywhere near the peak. But I didn’t want to be a whiner so I just kept walking. We finally began to ascend the peak along with a group of other hikers.
At the top of the peak, I was quite winded and wanted to catch my breath before I even thought about doing anything else so I sat down on the closest flat-ish rock I could find. Gregg sat down next to me and a minute or two later shifted to sit a bit closer to me and I thought, “I am sweaty and disgusting and he wants to get closer to me, why?” Then he said, “Well, are you ready for the next adventure?” I thought he was referring to heading back to the car and I wanted to sit for a while so responded with the wave of a finger and said, “Not right now.”
Then Gregg shifted his weight to get something out of his pocket and I began to mildly panic. I had unintentionally been faked out previously when I thought Gregg was going to propose when he asked me, “You know why you’re here, right?” when we were on another hike. This time I told myself not to freak out and that this was another one of those false alarms. Unfortunately, when I try not to panic, my mouth forms words out of nervousness and I asked him, “What are you doing?”
As he opened a white ring box to reveal a beautiful costume jewelry sapphire ring he purchased so that I could choose the “real ring” later, Gregg said something that made me feel as if I was leaving my body. “You are my past, present and future. Will you marry me?” I don’t remember exactly what I said or did after that. I felt light-headed and couldn’t believe what was happening. I believe I hugged him silently and he then asked me if that meant yes. I know that my reaction wasn’t at all ideal but it sure makes us laugh now. We both learned a lot about how I react to surprises that day: like a burbling deer caught in the terrifying glare of headlights.
On the way back to the car I couldn’t stop thinking about how suddenly life seemed to feel different. I began to think about how little I know about weddings and how overwhelming the planning process seemed. Then I reminded myself to take one thing at a time and decided to enjoy the rest of the weekend being newly engaged and excited about our future together.
Later that night I found out that Gregg told his family what his proposal plans were during the trip and that he had made a special visit to my parent’s house to ask for their blessing a few weeks prior. I can tell you that I have never felt so cherished and loved in my entire life. No one had ever put such thought and planning into a special event for me and I will forever hold it deep within my heart.
It has been a long and hard road for us (mostly for Gregg!) to get to this point but there is no one in the world I could have come this far with. I am extremely lucky to be loved by a great man who wants to spend the rest of our lives together. I am looking forward to watching our lives unfold as we travel forward united by love and commitment.
Exploring curiosity 