An Anniversary

We had planned on taking a drive up Provo Canyon that Saturday, to see glorious Autumn and the changes it was bringing to the trees on the mountain. That mountain had become a special place for us, already full of memories.

I suspected the possibility, but not too seriously.

We followed the winding road up toward the top, talking and admiring the beauty all around us. We stopped at one of the turnouts, and after a bit of kissing in the car, we got out for a little hike.

The trail wasn't the easiest, but I happily followed him, taking careful steps down a steep incline until we ended up in a clearing of tall grass.

He stopped to hug me. It seemed strangely deliberate, but I obliged of course.

And then, as we embraced I looked over his shoulder, and there it was...

A red rose, lying in the tall grass.

My first thought? "Oh no. We've happened upon someone else's romantic gesture."

And then it dawned on me.

He was smiling. I picked up the rose. A long, thin piece of paper was curled and tucked carefully into the bloom. Written on it was one of our special memories together.

He led me along a trail through the tall grass, and I kept finding them, red rose after red rose, all with a note, a memory.

I was beginning to cry.

After passing through a gathering of trees there was another clearing, looking out over the hills and valleys. It was dusk. It was beautiful.

There stood a table with a white cloth and a vase full of more roses. Red, and one white rose in the center.

That rose held my last note...a wish that today would be one of the most beloved memories of our lives.

And then Ryan dropped to one knee, held out a ring and asked me the question that changed my life forever. I cried, dropped to my knees too, and said yes without a single doubt in my mind.

8 years ago today.