Plunge

Place: Golden, CO
Weather: Springish
Music: Cory Chisel and the Wandering Sons
Mood: Elated

There have been lots of big changes and events going on around here lately… graduating school, new jobs, starting careers, etc… but this is a big one, folks. Jamie and I are officially engaged to be married! Here’s how it all went down:

Last week, I was fortunate enough to have four days in a row off from work (I could get used to this nursing schedule). It just happened to be that Jamie’s family was in town last week on a ski vacation, and Jamie and I headed up to the mountains to hang out with them on Tuesday, March 23rd. When we arrived, everybody was out skiing so we went for a walk in the woods by Steve and Jill’s (Jamie’s aunt and uncle) condo. It was a snowy hike to Lily Pad Lake, at about 9,900 feet. When we got there, we decided to take some pictures. First, I took a picture of Jamie, then one of both of us. Then I handed her the camera to take a picture of me, and she turned to walk away, getting in position to take the picture. While her back was turned, I got the ring out and took a knee. So, when she turned around, she saw me on my knee holding the ring. I say a few words, ask the big question, she says yes, put the ring on, big hug, kiss, and then we stand there and slowly come to the realization that now, officially, we are to be married.

After a while, we walked back to dry off and meet the rest of Jamie’s family for dinner. The first person we told was Jamie’s nephew, Jaiden. Since he is only 3 months old, we weren’t too worried that he would spill the beans. When we got to the condo where Jamie’s parents were staying, everybody was relaxing after a long day of skiing, and Jamie’s dad was in the shower so we couldn’t tell everyone right away. So, we sat down on the couch, Jamie with her hands concealed in her sweatshirt pocket, and waited. Finally, after 20 minutes, Jamie’s parents were finally in the same room and she pulled her hand out to show everyone. Screams. Hugs. Smiles. We hadn’t realized that Jamie’s sister had hopped in the shower and missed the whole thing (sorry, Julie!) and we had some explaining to do. After that, it was lots of phone calls and emails, repeated stories and congratulations.

Already there have been discussions about dates and locations and guest lists and all of those other things that come along with such an announcement. I knew we would be bombarded with questions, but we definitely don’t have any answers yet! With so many things in transition and up in the air right now, we need to get some other stuff figured out before we start making decisions on the wedding.

The rest of the week was great. Powder day at Vail on Wednesday with Andrew and Steve, day off in Frisco and Breckenridge on Thursday, impromptu meeting and engagement toast with John, Julie, Josh, and Johanna Mathews, and a nice dinner back at Steve and Jill’s on Friday.

For now it is back to work for me, and back to the job search for Jamie. She has an interview coming up this week… here’s hoping for the best! Thanks for all of the kind words and encouragement, everyone!

-Reed