Above and Beyond the Mountain Top

This is a love story. It happens to be true. It's not a fairy tale. It's real life.

"I need you from dawn until dusk." Ok..... how long does it take to purpose? I thought he was being rather elaborate. I guess I should know better then to box in a Dickinson. They like to go overboard, above and beyond the average Joe. He picked me up at 4am! Seriously... why? He asked me if I owned any hiking boots. I said... "No...." I thought I had him pinned. We were going hiking in southern Indiana, somewhere, to watch the sunrise. The only place worth hiking is one with an elevation above sea level right? Well, that is true, but I had no clue what I was in for on April 15th, 2010.

He picked me up at 4am. The morning started with our cheesy sappiness brimming up and over. We were both wearing the same shirts as the day we had met each other! Is he rubbing off on me? Yikes! We headed south after laughing hysterically about our outfits. I knew it! We were going to the hills of brown county.
When he slowly pulled into the exit for the Indianapolis airport, all my expectations veered suddenly in a new direction. "Where are we going?" I asked suspiciously. He gave me some ridiculous line about needing to go to the bathroom. At the airport????? come on dude.
We parked in the parking garage and he pulled out the ticket from his pocket. "Where are we flying?!!!!!" I was dumbfounded and completely speechless when he told me we were going to Colorado! My chin must have dropped several inches. I seriously had nothing to say to that. Since when do men take their women on a 12 hr exertion to the mountains. "There just wasn't any place good enough to take you in Indiana. Your brother said it best when he said."There isn't anything majestic here."

We found CiJai's car easily enough. (CiJai is Brent's brother's girlfriend...Jason and CiJai live in Ft. Collins). The car was packed with fancy fun cheeses, our favorite wine, organic apples, water, snow shoes, boots, hats, gloves and snow pants! It was perfect!

We drove to Boulder for breakfast. I am sad that I forgot to take pictures of Lucille's, a local hippy/Cajun style joint located in down town Boulder. But picture an old fashioned house made into a restaurant with homemade hot sauce, blueberry jam and apple butter on the table and two different kinds of recycling receptacles in the bathroom, and I think you will have an idea of what it was like.
After stuffing our faces we drove to one of my favorite places on earth, Rocky Mountain National Park! The day was incredible, sunny and warm. CiJai's snow pants and boots fit me perfectly. Hurray for snow shoeing! I had never been and always wanted to go! We hiked up past two different lakes, Nymph and Dream Lake. Our destination was Emerald Lake, just over the ridge in that first picture above. Imagine a bowl shaped valley with those craggy peaks jutting up on three sides and you have it! Intense beauty!
We sat down for a picnic of raw milk cheese, apples, wassa crackers and our favorite wine and chocolate. Immediately some feathery friends swooped down to claim rights to apple cores, cheese, crackers, whatever they could steal. Check out the look on this guy's face :)
We finished our picnic and hiked up to a different part of the lake. All this time I was waiting... patiently waiting for him to "pop the question". Ok, now would be the time... ok... how about now? no? well then... As we were gazing at the scenery of the majestic mountains soaring up and up around us, I suddenly realized Brent had gotten down on one knee and was pouring out his heart to me on the mountain side. He was joyful and tearful, as expressive as ever, and with heartbreaking passion he asked me to marry him. I had thought of something clever to say that to this day I have no memory of it. Every word in my head left me. I forgot my role in the whole dealio. He got out the ring and I just stared at it! It was amazing, my favorite from our Ebay searches. I suddenly realized he was waiting for me to say something so I stammered out a "Yes.. yes, I will." The catch in my throat grew from my speechlessness into a audible sob. "I want it to be you, me and Jesus, all the way." He had said.
It's only been a weak since the proposal and I still think about that moment and I lapse into dreamy sappiness. What has happened to me? Well, I think I found myself a real man. I man who loves Jesus and me. A man who thinks my weird meal creations are edible, even good :) He fixes brakes, makes cheesy jokes, and treats people with respect and dignity. I'm done looking. August 1st is the day my last name changes to Dickinson.
This is a love story.... not a fairy tale. Jesus is Good!