Flashback: One Year

I cannot believe that today marks one year since Jess and I were engaged! It was Groundhog day, Saturday February 2, 2008 and I hadn't the slightest clue what I was in for that evening. The week before, Jess had been stressing and planning out how to make the perfect proposal, and it was beyond anything I had ever imagined.

You know when you're younger before you get engaged, and you picture how the love of your life is going to get down on one knee and pop out a ring and say those magic words, (ok well maybe I'm the only girl who's ever dreamed of that) but this day was better than all the awesome ways I had imagined! Jess did SUCH an amazing job!

A few days prior, he had gone to ask my dad for permission and show my mom the ring he had picked out. He had actually began planning his proposal months in advance because he had taken me snowshoeing quite a few times before the big proposal - so that by the time he was ready to propose, I was used to snowshoeing and wouldn't complain the whole time =0) haha he was smart!!!

Well the day before he proposed, he sent my mom and I away to go to a day spa to get makeovers (which was really just a cover-up to keep me busy so I wouldn't clue in on what was going on). He spent that whole day making a trail in the woods up in the Ogden Valley with him and a friend of his, carving out the tree that said, "Whit Will You Marry Me," and preparing all the goodies he was going to take up on our little adventure.

Saturday morning came and Jess casually asked me if I wanted to go snowshoeing for the afternoon. Being the stubborn girl I am, I told him that we were not going to do anything fun that day until all of my homework for school was done! haha - so by the time we got up to the valley, the sun was setting and Jess was beginning to panic because things were not going according to plan. (but I was STILL entirely oblivious to it all - suprising, I know) On our drive up to the valley, he had the trunk of my car full of balloons, flowers, a CD player, a picnic basket and lots of goodies. I was still clueless.

Jess dropped me off at his sister's house and told me had to go do a plumbing job for an hour and as soon as he got back, we would go snowshoeing. Well this really ticked me off because we had just gotten all of our snow gear together and then he randomly tells me we can't go until after dark and he dumps me off at his sister's house. I was still clueless.

(the whole time I was at his sister's house he was setting things up to pop the question)

About an hour later, he picked me up and I could tell he was a little antsy, not really himself. I was still clueless.

Well we go up on this trail in North Fork, (if any of you know that camping area) and I thought it was a little odd that there was already a trail made -but again, I was clueless. So we start along this trail and the only light we have is the headlamp I'm wearing in the picture. After about 10 minutes of hiking, I start to notice that there are rose petals along the trail.

Now rewind a few days... I had been complaining to Jess that every time we go and do something fun it has to be with friends. I explained to him that I didn't mind hanging out with other people at all, but I would prefer that every now and then, I would like to do something fun... just the two of us.

Now fast forward to me seeing the petals on the trail. The thought that came to mind was, "Oh that's so sweet, this is his way of doing something romantic for me, ... just the two of us." I was still clueless. Well I keep going along the trail, Jess is behind me, and I start to notice more and more rose petals. All of a sudden, I see these red paper hearts that Jess cut out that are tied onto the branches, sort of marking the trail. Again I keep thinking, "He's doing this to make up for what I said." Clueless again.

Finally we get to a point in the trail where it forks off in two directions, and I had to choose which way to go. So I pick one direction and it takes me a short distance to where there is a chocolate covered rose in the snow. The trail leads me around the chocolate rose and back the way I had came. (Indicating I had chosen the wrong direction) So I followed the trail in the opposite direction and it led me along for awhile, with more rose petals along the path and paper hearts tied in the trees. FINALLY, I stopped and sat down to take off one of my snowshoes because my sock had fallen down around my ankle inside of my snow boot and I told Jess I needed help fixing it. It worked out absolutely PERFECT because the very spot that I sat down to fix my sock and boot, was right in front of the EXACT tree that Jess had carved out. I was still CLUELESS!!!!

Keep in mind, it was probably six or seven o'clock at night by now, and completely dark outside, and all I had was my trusty headlamp. Anyhow, Jess began to help me take off my snowboot and sock and help me fix it and I noticed he was being extremely slow. As I tried to wait patiently while he fixed my boot, I tilted my head back to look up at the stars and low and behold I looked up at the tree in front of me and there it was!!!!!

I quickly jumped up to take a closer look and there was a beautiful diamond ring hanging off of a nail in the tree! I started to cry and Jess grabbed the ring off of the nail and got down on one knee and asked me!

It was so sweet and 150-percent absolutely perfect, romantic and wonderful... all at the same time. After mushy time was over, I put my snowshoes back on and assumed we were heading back to the car to go tell everyone the exciting news. Jess led me down the trail and told me he knew a shortcut to get back down to the bottom. Obviously, I trusted him and followed right behind him and shortly after, I began to notice a bunch of balloons tied to the trees. I thought to myself, "Oh my... what does he have planned next?!"

Soon we came to this big opening where Jess had previously stomped the snow down in the shape of a heart and had a picnic table set up with treats. Balloons were surrounding us in all the trees and there was a big bouqet of daisies (my favorite flower) and he had a CD player that was playing our song, "She Will Be Loved," by Maroon 5. I started to tear up once more. It was the perfect moment. ( I was no longer clueless) So we sat down in the cold, dark, and peaceful scenery and had a nice little picnic complete with carmeled apples, fruit and veggy dips, and sparkling cider. We sat there for a long time together just enjoying the moment before we hiked back down the trail to go tell everyone the fabulous news.

It was truly a day I will never forget and I am so grateful for Jess. I am the luckiest girl to have him as my husband.