Hand Hug: May 2015

If you have followed or stumbled across my blog you are probably aware that there is a man in my life. He is the best thing that has ever happened to me and makes me the happiest girl in the world. Not only does he love to travel with me but we actually enjoy 100% of each others company. He is my best friend and I am such a better woman with him by my side. We have been faced with many obstacles over the last four years and always seem to overcome them with more love for each other than ever. I have no doubt in my mind that he is the man I will choose to spend every waking moment with for as long as we both shall live. This is why it gives me great joy to announce our engagement.

Since we have lived together for years and talk about EVERYTHING, this didn't exactly come as a surprise. We have been looking for rings for a long time and planning everything out for a bit now. We ended up finding the most amazing jeweler in Salt Lake City called Tresor Jewelers. This family owned business was able to create the most beautiful rings for us and really make every part of our experience one to remember. I would recommend them to anyone and everyone! So we created an engagement ring and then the wait began.

By this time, we had already told all of our close family and friends about it! Many people congratulated us on our engagement and wedding planning began... but one thing was missing. The ring. Although we had chosen it together and already knew our plans of marriage and even our wedding day, Shane made me wait for the right moment to make his grand gesture.There still had not been an actual engagement. One thing I absolutely love is that even though we do things all out of order and off-beat, he still wanted to make every moment of it special for me.

This past weekend we had taken a trip to Nevada where spent the night in Ely. Our destination was Great Basin National Park, but unfortunately it was too rainy and cold to camp. Since the park is in the middle of nowhere, Ely was the closest place to find a good hotel. We had a delicious steak dinner at the Jail House Dining Hall. Then tested our luck on a few slots before heading to bed.

Great Basin National Park is an hour or so east of Ely, back towards Utah. We headed out early to make it in time for our 9 AM tour of the Lehman Caves! The caves were very different from ones we have traveled in the past. In the early 1900's people would party or camp in them, so there was a ton of damage and man-made markings. It is still a living cave and luckily the damage was not spread through the entire cave. It was still quite beautiful to view and the tour was very enjoyable.

At one point on the tour, the group in front of us had speed up and the group behind us fell way behind. We were alone in a long passage and I was walking in front of Shane. All of a sudden I hear him behind me say "Nina" (which is his nickname for me). I turn around and he was on one knee! The cave was dark and he was holding up a box with a built-in light that was illuminating the ring. Then he said "Will you marry me?" and my heart skipped a beat. I knew it was coming, but I had no idea it would be then and there. The word yes couldn't come out of my mouth fast enough! He couldn't have chosen a better place and time! It was funny because afterward we speed up to join the tour with our giant grins on our faces but nobody knew what had happened. It was super romantic and exciting.

I am overjoyed with everything and am looking forward to starting our next chapter of lives together.