Finding Happily Ever After

This post is one of the most exciting I will probably ever write.

On Thursday, June 21, 2012, Cameron asked me to be his wife, and I very excitedly said yes. Since then, I have recanted the story time and time again, and I have yet to smile less than I did the first time.

We had been planning for months to spend a few days in the Smoky Mountains, and finally, the vacation had come. In the wee hours of Wednesday morning, we packed the car and hit the road for the condo. We spent the day exploring the town and enjoying the much-needed cooler temperatures the pool offered.


Thursday, Cameron suggested we go on a hike, which we had talked about for some time. It was about 14 miles round trip. We began the trek ready to reach our "mystery location," at least, it was a mystery to me. About a mile in, we heard a rustling sound coming from behind us. We turned around to see a black bear lumbering onto the trail where we had just been! Of course, I wanted to snap a picture, but Cameron insisted (wisely, probably), that we move ahead and get out of the path of the bear, which happened to be staring at us. We continued on for a couple miles before hearing the leaves moving ahead of us. Though we couldn't see it, we could tell this was a big animal, and it began to run. All signs pointed to this being another bear encounter. Concerned about safety, we decided to go back down the mountain rather than taking our chances on the trail, especially because we hadn't seen another human in miles.

As we were heading down the mountain, we got close to the point where we had seen the first bear, and naturally, we were both on edge. It was at this moment that a squirrel decided to bolt toward a tree, essentially giving Cameron and I small heart attacks. Eventually, we had nearly reached the end of the trail, and saw yet another, much smaller, black bear!

We got back to the car, and headed toward the "backup plan," which was a 1.5 mile trail to our mystery destination. As we climbed this part of the mountain, Cameron repeated things along the lines of "I'm so glad you're here with me" and "I'm so happy." I thought it was very sweet of him, but I had no idea what was waiting at the end of the trail.

Once we got closer to the end, I could hear the sound of water, but I thought it was one of the many creeks we had heard along the way. Instead, it was the sound of a beautiful waterfall, our mystery destination. There was a handful of families at the waterfall taking pictures, and as we watched the water cascade down onto the moss-covered rocks and into the pool of water below, Cameron said he had hoped there would be fewer people there. Thinking he had wanted to enjoy the waterfall without the sounds of squealing children, I still thought nothing of it.

Finally, as we were about to leave, a wonderful gentleman asked if we would like a photo together; it was an offer we gladly accepted. As I began walking toward the waterfall, which was the only waterfall in the state park that people can walk behind, Cameron stayed behind. I thought he must have been explaining how to use the camera. Little did I know, he was hinting at what he was about to do so that we could have the perfect picture. He eventually caught up and took my hand. He told me to wait, but I was so stuck on the idea of getting a photo behind the waterfall, that I began to protest, but he insisted. He told me he loved me, and was so happy we were there together, and I told him the same. He then took my other hand, and locked eyes with mine. Almost before I knew what was happening, he put a hand in his pocked and retrieved a beautiful diamond ring. He repeated that he loved me one more time before getting on one knee, holding my gaze the whole time, and those words finally came, "Elizabeth, will you marry me?"

Though I had always thought I would cry, no tears came, and I managed to blurt out a breathless "yes!"

I couldn't have asked for a more perfect location, and I couldn't be happier or more excited to start this new journey in life. As Cameron and I start to plan our lives together, we have been blessed with congratulations from all over the world (literally!), and welcoming hearts. This is a memory I will carry with me for the rest of my days.

A Year's Time

It's really amazing what a year can bring. As I sit here, I am thinking about where I was at this time last year, and where I might be a year from now. It's really mind boggling, in all honesty.

Last year, I had just graduated, driven to Arizona and back for my dear friend's wedding, flown to California for a whirlwind tour of San Fransisco and Sacramento, come home, and was anticipating the start of my first real job. About a week and three days, 4 tear-filled nights, 3 days of no lunch breaks, and a lot of careful thought later, I quit, and I could not be happier to have made that decision. Not long after that, I began writing, and I was lucky to receive many compliments, and eventually some freelance writing opportunities as a result. More wonderful opportunities fell into my lap, and I have been blessed with a job that changed my life, and my current job which is teaching me much about life, compassion, and hardship.


The year continued, and I began to forge my own way in the world. I've had many laughs, met some wonderful friends, and had a few rough days, but in all, it's been a year full of growth. I've learned a lot about myself, what I'm capable of, and about relationships with family, my boyfriend, and far-away friends.

As I look back now, I have a mixed feeling about whether time went quickly or at a snail's pace. On the one hand, June 2011 seems like it was an eternity ago, but then I think that I can almost feel that San Fransisco rain fall quietly on my hair. Strange, isn't it, how nostalgia brings everything back so easily, and yet, life changes so quickly?

Time will only tell where life's journey will take me until 2013, but I have a couple of ideas, and boy, am I excited.

Must...Keep...Walking

As part of the latest shenanigans at work, we have created a walking contest to encourage healthy lifestyles among the staff and their families. We got into teams of our choice and thanks to Kellogg, we have been using some donated pedometers to keep track of our steps for a little over a week now. My team is full of competitive people, and there are prizes on the line, albeit small ones (in fact, I'm not even sure what the prizes are), but prizes nonetheless!  So, we made an additional bet with another team. The team who loses must wash the cars of the winning team. Added bonus: they will do so in the parking lot at work so that everyone can see their defeat.

Needless to say, my competitive streak has kicked in and I have been really stepping up my game (see what I did there?). My calves are burning a little and frankly a 2 mile walk in heels with my team was not the greatest on my poor toes. All in the name of victory, right?

My team and I have been going on a walk each day at lunch, and it's been a great break from the norm. Often, it can be easy to forget to take a moment to breathe and relax at work. I am convinced I'm working harder simply because my concentration is better after taking a good walk.

In short, this is a great lesson in morale and health, as well as productivity. It's too easy to get caught in the daily paperwork drudgery and forget to enjoy life. How can people be expected to work without having a chance to enjoy the sunshine? There's far more to life than sitting behind a computer screen, and I'm determined to enjoy it.

Happy walking!

The Power of Ps and Qs...

Sometimes it astounds me at how often people leave out the phrases "please" and "thank you" from their conversations.  After leaving out this common courtesy, it amazes me further that those same people wonder why others are generally unmotivated to act quickly in order to appease them. I think it is fair to say that everyone deserves a certain level of respect and dignity, no matter their story or background. Using these phrases is a great way to incorporate both of those, along with a genuine smile.

Saying "please" and "thank you" are especially important when dealing with someone who is performing a service. Almost everyone can sniff out a less-than-genuine attitude from a mile away, and it is also important to note that it's typically easy to detect a sour attitude, even through texts, emails, or messages. Leaving out common courtesies can spell disaster for the project, not to mention frustration on the part of the person performing the service.

No one actually wants to be remembered as miserly or rude, so why is it that these words are so often forgotten? I've reached my limit on the lack of respect issue, have you?

Grinding My Gears

You know what really grinds my gears? People who insist on driving below the speed limit. I'm not talking about just hovering slightly below, I'm talking at least 5-10 miles an hour under the speed limit. Why? Why must you do this? There isn't even a traffic jam. There will be a handful of cars on the road, all simply inching along, killing me slowly with their determination to make me late.

I don't really speed. I kind of freak out if I discover I was accidentally going too fast. I'm just really not in the mood to get a ticket, and the idea of being pulled over makes my heart race; I'm quite sure I would instantly burst into tears if ever I was pulled over.

But I certainly do NOT go below the speed limit. There are a lot of things I want to do in my life, and frankly, waiting anxiously to pass the snail moving in front of me is not one of them. Yet, somehow, I seem to perpetually choose to live in locations where traffic moves slower than molasses in January...on the back of a mule....which is stuck in cement.

I have things to do, people, get out of the way! At the very least, do not block all four lanes with your crawling speeds. If you want to spend your life on the road, fine, but I want to accomplish some things.