We're ENGAGED!!

For those of you who may not have heard, Nate and I got engaged last Saturday, Valentine's Day. I can't even begin to express the joy I feel having been asked to marry this absolutely wonderful person. I feel like the luckiest girl alive and I can't wait to build a life with him.

So the million dollar question: how did he do it? Well, lucky for you all I had a camera along that wonderful day so I can tell and show you :)

A few days before, Nate told me he wanted to go on a hike in Torrey Pines for Valentine's Day. He looked a little distraught when I told him it was supposed to rain that day, but then I consoled him by reminding him how wrong our weathermen are.

Saturday came and it started off just right, with some home-made waffles (Nate's favorite), a walk with Stevie, and beautiful weather. We went to a sandwich place on the way and got to Torrey Pines in the early afternoon.

Then we started down the trails. See, it really was pretty out!

View to the north:

The first mishap, I found out later, was that the point where Nate wanted to propose was under construction. But we decided, we would take the Beach Trail instead. We headed down to that flat rock:

Here Nate is on the flat rock. Looking at this picture is funny, because Nate is looking over to where he would eventually propose. Probably thinking something like, "That will do."

After getting off the flat rock we started down the beach. What was going through my mind was this has been an absolutely perfect day. Little did I know it was about to get MUCH better. I was having fun by the cliffs:


And hiding out in coves:
Finally, we came to a rock and sat down. Nate asked if I wanted to check out the scenery with the binoculars and I said, "Yeah!" So I was looking up the coast and being amazed by how neat binoculars really are, when I felt a tap on my leg. When I looked over there was Nate on one knee and he asked me that magical question (I am smiling really big and kind of giggly as I type this).

So here is the big mishap, the one that now makes our engagement even more memorable.... When Nate asked he held open an empty ring box. I hugged him, said, "of course," but then asked "what does this mean?" and pointed to the box. Nate was confused until he looked for himself and saw no ring. That's when his panic set in. He informed me quickly that the ring should have been in there and was rifling through the backpack where he had hid the box. I picked up on the panic, and as he moved onto looking at the ground, I started searching too..... BUT, then he saw it - FACE DOWN IN THE SAND. WHoooooooooooo (big sigh from Nate). He brushed it off and put it on my finger. And I saw for the first time, the most perfect ring I had ever seen. After the panic subsided Nate grabbed the camera and took a couple "after" pics of me:


Right down there was where the ring was (oh yeah, and the binoculars.. I have no recollection of this but I must have just dropped them when he asked, haha). I love the story, but at the time.. MAN NATE LOOKED WORRIED when he couldn't find that ring!

He felt like he slightly blew it since he proposed with an empty box, but I love our unique story.


Engaged and in love: Nate and Nikki February 14th, 2009