We're ENGAGED!!

5 years, 1 month, and one week after our first date Jacob popped the question on the top of Mt. Charleston. We made plans about a week ago to go hiking, but we were originally going to go to Red Rock since we have a year long pass that's about to expire (and we've only been once since we purchased it) but I heard at work that if you go to Mt. Charleston this time of year you're likely to see waterfalls because all the snow is melting. Mt. Charleston is one of our favorite places anyway so we decided to ditch the Red Rock idea and go on the search for some waterfalls. We began our hike but were surprised to find that even the start of the trail was covered in snow. We forged along though and the snow began to thin out.

As we reached the end of the trail we could see the lookout point, but I did not think it would be possible to reach it because of this mound of ice/snow that sloped downwards and seemed rather unsafe. Jake was determined to reach the point so I told him to go w/out me and I'd wait for him. He insisted that I follow him so I agreed and after gripping the side of the mountain and slowly scooting myself through a small crevice between the mountain and the snow I made it to the lookout point. I started taking pictures while he searched for something in his Camelbak.

After a minute he says "Hey man" (yeah we call each other "man") and I turned to find him holding a ring box. I really thought it was a joke though and told him he wasn't "for real" but then he opened the box and asked me to marry him so then I realized it was "for real". Obviously I said yes and he put the ring on my finger, I admired it for a few minutes and then took it off before heading back down the mountain because I didn't want anything to happen to it. As we were leaving we saw a man and his son headed for the point and we asked them to take our picture.

Once we made it back to the car the marathon of phone calls began. First I tried my mom and dad and nobody answered, then I tried my dad's cell phone and no answer! Then I tried my sister who answered and screamed for about 20 minutes after I told her. I called Melanie after that and got no answer but left a message telling her to call me the SECOND that she got the message. Then I called Siggy who was very excited, but in true Siggy fashion, told me that once you get married you're officially "old" and she's not ready for all of us to get old yet. I tried my parents again and they answered this time (they'd been outside working in the yard) and they were very excited too. Jake had a nice little sit down talk w/ them when we were in Texas a couple of weeks ago so they knew it was coming. There were a few more calls after that, but I'm sure you're tired of reading about them. Also, I'm sorry if you have not received a phone call yet, but I was a little tired of the phone after a while and just wanted to enjoy the day. Just in case you're wondering, I pretty much have the entire wedding planned out already. I actually even requested the days off from work back at the beginning of the year, but we have to verify the location/date with a few people so I'm not telling you yet when it's going to be. Let's just say that we're aiming for September of this year. I realize that's only 6 months away, but we're going for a somewhat small, very casual shindig that's really more of a backyard party than a formal wedding. And don't start thinking "only 6 months away, she must be pregnant" because I'm definitely not :) I'll fill you in on all the details later.

One thing I will tell you though is that I asked Melanie to be my maid of honor. There are several reasons for this. One is that she's my oldest friend, dating way back to the 7th grade when we were both super awkward and lame. We endured our lameness together all the way through high school and have kept in touch since then. She knows all my secrets, all my former "crushes" and EVERY aspect of my relationship with Jake. We can go weeks w/out talking but still pick up right where we left off. I'm so lucky to have her as a friend! Another main reason is that she's a bridesmaid expert and I really want to see her surpass 27 dresses. Haha, not really, but she did mention that she just watched that movie the other night and her family gave her a hard time about all the weddings that she's been in. I'm so fortunate to have her and so many other wonderful friends and I really hope that everyone can be there for our special day.

I hope you all made it to the end of the story!! I have one more thing before I go....A few nights ago we were at dinner and Jake said "I think we should start putting a playlist of songs together for our wedding" and he had one in mind that he wanted to include. We listened to it when we got in the car and I'm telling everyone right now to go download it. It's called Moment of Truth and it's my FM Static. It's pretty much the sweetest song ever and my new favorite. Word of caution: it will get stuck in your head for days, but it's worth it.