Engaged on a Mountain Top in New Zealand!

So today...I got engaged :)

It all started in the morning when my meetings were canceled and it was a lovely sunny day.  Andrew decided that today was the day that we would hike up Little Mount Peel.  He grew up on his grandfathers farm below the mountain.  On the drive he talked about his family and growing up there...very cute.  We stopped at the info hut and decided what trail to take...on average...A 3 HOUR UP AND 3 HOUR DOWN HIKE. Kill me.  So off we went on the hike...it was absolutely beautiful...hiking through the trees...and in the mudd.  My hiking boots sure did get some use.  We were behind a couple as we were walking...and then met them again at a hugeeee puddle blocking the trail.  They had decided to give up.  We decided to march through the brush and make it work.  Didn't get wet at all ;) So up and up we climbed....Andrew promised I would 'set the pace' so he let me walk in front. And stop every 5 minutes. I am so not in shape...

At about half way, maybe a little less, the tree's cleared and we were in a bunch of brush.  Eventually getting lower and lower until it was just views all around us as we hiked on the ridge.  So cool.  This is a picture of where we were heading from the half-way point.  I thought he was kidding when he said "that's where we're going"...he wasn't.  So after the many times of stopping, we ran in to a group of dads with their kids.  It was then that I decided if kids can make it, I can make it.

We were (as Andrew says it) a "stones throw away" and I almost gave up.  I could feel my body getting super angry at me...getting light headed.  So we took a break for a bit, ate some granola bars, and kept on trekking up the ridiculously steep hill.




We finally got to the top and it was beautiful.  You could see all of the mountains and all the way to the ocean.   I had to sit and catch my breath...felt like I was dying.  And then Andrew says this is it...this is where I'm from, and this is all that I am...and he asked me to stand up.  Then he got down on one knee.  I literally answered him yes, no, yes, no, really? YES!  I'm a mess...I couldn't believe it was actually happening :) He gave me his grandmothers ring...she lent it to us until we could find one that we both liked, that is ours.  Its so gorgeous...and as everyone noticed, kind of looks like a NZ fern...how appropriate ;)

And to top it all off THE TOP HAS WATER! I was so excited about the water...my water bottle was just about empty and we still had a 3 hour hike down.  My mom laughed when I called and told her, saying "It's a good thing you said yes or that would have been a horrible hike back"...no kidding haha. So we stayed at the top for a while...signed the guest book that is in the cabin at the top.  Sat around and took it all in for a bit...watched the lucky lady bugs crawl around (Andrew said he saw a few on the hike up and hoped it was luck haha). Then we hiked back down so we could make it for dinner...which is much nicer hike than up.

On the way down we had silly conversations of wedding colors and who we want in our bridal party...where will we have the wedding...when will we have the wedding.  So many things go in to these things!  Definitely made time fly!

Once we were allllmost at the bottom it started to rain...so we started to pick up the pace...and then it rained harder...so we picked up the pace even more...and then the rain turned to sleet! So we started to run! It was so cold! And all around us there wasn't a cloud in sight...except for right over our mountain.  So crazy! And such a mess! But so much fun running through the rain and the mud back to the car...then off we went to find some celebration beer.  Some of that Apricot Wheat beer...which is a pain in the butt to find.  It would be that our favorite beer on the island is the most difficult to find...but we found it ;)

Overall a fantastic day, fantastic moment, and I will never forget it for as long as I live...I am engaged...wow...