Let me tell you a story of one of the best weekends of my life…
As most of you know- the man of my dreams came and swept me off my feet 4 years ago, and I have been falling ever since. Tony is the most kind hearted and thoughtful man. He is always putting others before himself, and is so humble and grateful for every moment of every day. He truly is a man of God, and I have learned so much from him, and can't wait to be with him for the rest of my life. I am so blessed that God gave me him.
Here's how it all went down!
We got to Seattle at 8:40 on Friday morning. My lovely friend Tonie convinced us to come out for the weekend to just spend some time together! -- For the sake of the Tony/Tonie confusion of this blogpost, I will call her what I always call her: Beets!-- Beets picked us up from the airport and said "Are you ready for today?! I have our entire day planned out down to the MINUTE!!!" Little did I know- her and Tony had literally been planning this day for
months.
We spent the morning walking the streets of Seattle. We got breakfast at the crumpet shop, walked through the market, bought fresh flowers, saw the legendary first starbucks, and I roamed the streets with coffee in hand and a smile on my face. After that- we took the most scenic drive into Leavenworth through the mountains. Beets' husband, Eric, has family that owns a bed and breakfast called the
Abendblume. We planned to stay there for a majority of the weekend to explore Leavenworth, take lots of pictures, and just enjoy the slower lifestyle on the outskirts of the busy city.
Leavenworth is about the cutest town EVER. It's a bulgarian themed town tucked away in the mountains where even the McDonalds sign is painted in a bulgarian font!! We pulled up to Eric's families Bed & Breakfast, and it was straight out of a dream. Open fields, fresh flowers, beautiful architecture, and the most adorable driveway lined with birch trees on either side. The house was surrounded by mountains- a view so stunning it takes your breath away.
On our way up the driveway I asked Beets, who is a fellow photographer,
"Do you ever take pictures here!? It's breathtaking!"
"No," she replied, "but I will take some of you guys today!"
I thought nothing of this because we had both been snapping pictures all day, and it is just a normal occurrence for us when we are together!
After settling in, Beets and Eric suggested that we walk into town for lunch. When we got about halfway down the driveway, Beets suggested we stop for an impromptu photoshoot. I took several shots of her and Eric, then we switched places. I will never forget what happened next. Tony and I were posing, laughing, and dancing. He was twirling me around and dipping me for kisses, all as Beets was snapping away. Slowly, he grabbed both of my hands and said the words I will never forget as he got down on one knee.
"Kate. Kate Elizabeth. I've loved you since the moment I met you. I love everything about you. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you marry me?"
My heart was full of joy and tears were streaming down my face as I could hardly whisper the word YES! The next few moments were a blur of hugs, kisses, and warm embraces from Tony as I tried to soak it all in! I am so thankful that Beets was there to capture those tender moments that I will be able to look back at and remember that feeling.
We spent the rest of the day soaking in that feeling of being newly engaged. We ate lunch and walked the streets of the quaint little town, visited shops, and had a nice dinner where we listened to live music and enjoyed the company of Beets and Eric. The next day we hiked up the mountains to the most gorgeous glacial lake I have ever seen. And Tony and I wrapped up the night with a dinner alone on the deck of a little resturant. We talked and ate, and dreamed about the wedding we would have and what a celebration it would be to officially join hands in marriage. I remember being so lost in each other that we finally looked up and realized it was dark out, the place was closing, and we had totally tuned out the world around us. Every time I think about that night it makes me smile…
The last day in town- literally on our way to the airport, Beets led us around the city and did our first round of engagement pictures. I love the way she captured the feel of the city in these photographs. She is such a talented lady and I could not be more blessed to call her one of my best friends. Thank you Beets, for everything!!
The memories of that trip are so vividly engrained in my mind and enhanced with photographs that I will cherish them forever!
