Two months
7:23 PM
We have been married two wonderful months. I look forward to thousands more!
Ever heard Taylor's proposal? Story time!
I was working as a tour bus driver in Juneau, Alaska for Holland America-Princess Alaska and Yukon (the name has changed many times but I'm pretty sure that is the full, correct and current name). I would drive people from their cruiseship (Princess and Holland America, of course, as well as Carnival, Norwegian, Royal Carribean, Disney and occasionally the National Geographic ships.
Alaska was my summer home for 5 years. Great times, great people and pretty good dough. Getting paid to live and play in southeast Alaska? Yes, please.
The Mendenhall glacier (name is confused with Mendelssohn and like-sounding names. Don't be fooled)
A view of the same Mendenhall glacier from about 5 miles away. Gorgeous.
So, this is all background as to WHY in the world Taylor would even have the need to travel 1,600 miles to propose to his girlfriend.
We had been dating for only a few months when we started making plans for summer of 2013. I was always the one who thought we wouldn't work out and shouldn't make plans to do summer things together. Taylor was looking for useful and fun internships to round out his résumé in places like California and New Jersey. I had already thought to return to Alaska before even meeting Taylor so I stuck with that plan. Taylor ended up with a job in Salt Lake City, Utah and I travelled to the Land of the Midnight Sun.
This picture was taken kayaking in Auke Bay at 9:30 pm.
When time came to part ways, we were not crazy about the idea but we knew by this point that it was the real thing.
However, it wasn't official (💍) before I left for the north and Taylor spent countless hours emphasizing that because of work and major travel expenses he wouldn't be able to come visit me at all. :(
Then, my dear cousin Morgan got engaged to the lovely Ceri AND my mission president and his wife had gotten home from their mission. So a trip back home for these events was in order. What a relief! Otherwise we would have gone 4 whole months without seeing each other. (Say what you will about Skype, it's not the same)
I started getting the idea that if Taylor was going to propose before school started, he would do it when I went home in July.
He was characteristically sneaky about the whole surprise and EVERYONE knew it was coming but me. Even my boss knew.
I was skyping with him when I was buying my plane tickets to Utah and Arizona, being unusually persistent about knowing if I had bought them yet and what time I was leaving and which airline...blah blah blah. I had no reason to suspect it was anything other than passive curiousity about my travel plans and when I'd get home to Utah.
Little did I know he was buying the same tickets to come home with me!
The day before I was going to fly home was my last day of work for 10 days. My happy thought was that I'd be seeing Taylor very, very soon.
Thursday, July 11th started out as any other morning as a tour bus driver: early. I was up at 6 am and at work by 7. Let me reiterate that NOTHING SEEMED OUT OF THE ORDINARY. Or I'm incredibly dense and can't see the obvious signs of a surprise coming.
I did my normal morning paperwork and preparation for the day. I proceeded out to the bus assigned to me for the day for the usual pre-trip check (a 100+ point check for safety of the vehicle) with my friend Sydney who said she wanted to talk/vent about something. Again, completely normal.
When I opened the door and walked up the four steps, I found this on my seat.
Now things started to get weird.
Sometimes the previous driver forgets something on the bus or leaves paperwork or whatever but this was out of the ordinary. So I picked up the little black velvet box.
???? What? I was so confused and still unsuspecting. I thought maybe Taylor had sent something in the mail and asked Sydney to deliver it for him.
I looked up to where she was about half way back in the bus and asked what in the world was going on.
What's in the box?
....nothing.
An empty box...from Taylor...on my bus...which I have to check and get ready to go pick up a group of passengers and take them...I don't have time for this....What's going on....I'm going to be late...from Taylor?
Dozens of thoughts flew through my head and I had an empty box in my hand. I asked Sydney again what was going on, pleeeease tell me.
'Oh is that empty?'
Yes it's empty! What is happening?
Right then Taylor stood up from where he'd been crouching between the rows of seats, hidden from my view.
I was speechless. Well, almost. Just one question: what are you doing here?
The few words I remember Taylor saying are: 'Don't worry, I have it!' As he held up a ring.
Before he knelt down on one knee I held him tight. I wasn't thinking that I was holding up his plans for what came next.
He said some beautiful words about how happy he would be to make me his wife and then popped the question.
Of course I said YES! It was pretty quiet though because I couldn't really breathe so I had to say it a couple times before I was sure he heard me.
Yes, that's my driving uniform and I hadn't even had the frame of mind to take off my backpack.
Happy, glorious day.
Taylor had made arrangements with my boss to get me the day off. So we took advantage of the day and I took him around Juneau.
Breakfast at Sandpiper Cafe (delicious), whale watching, souvenir shopping and
a helicopter flight up to land on Herbert glacier. Pretty great day.
Taylor is the master of surprise. He always gets me. Maybe I'll share his cute ways in the future.
I love this man. I am overjoyed he is my husband and so proud to be his wife.
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