The Proposal
On Monday, October 27th, 2014, Adam and I decided to hike up a mountain just outside of Xi'an called Cuihuashan. Since Monday serves as the first day of the weekend for both of us here in China, we had a late start getting to the mountain (read: I like to sleep so Adam was waiting on me). After about an hour bus ride and cart ride, we made it to the entrance. Both of us were feeling the effects of the city air when we left our hostel, but as soon as we experienced that clean mountain air, we felt significantly better! After purchasing some water, we began our hike.
The whole hike I couldn't help but fall more and more in love with Caitlynn, as I had since I met her. Nothing ever keeps her down. Every stair step and stone she climbed reaffirmed my decision in having bought the engagement ring before coming to China. I knew that now all I needed was the right moment to propose, which is why I always carried the ring with me. But in this case, I had it in the pack she was carrying.
As we climbed higher enjoying each other's company, we noticed a traditional Chinese style gazebo located at the top of our path. Also, I began to notice the closer we got to the gazebo, the quieter Adam became. When we reached the top where the gazebo was located, Adam remarked on what a spectacular view it was looking out over the valley, but told me not to turn around just yet because he wanted me to wait to see the view. With my back to the valley, I waited for him. Taking a while, he eventually came to lead me backwards into the gazebo. He stood me so my back was still facing the scenic area, took my hands and began rubbing them nervously, looked me in the eyes, and started to speak.
She was stunning. Her warm, soft smile turned the cool, autumn backdrop into a fading blur. She was all I could see. Words tumbled out of my mouth, falling and failing to capture exactly how I felt. There were so many experiences, so many memories we shared together and I knew I wanted to share even more with her. Being with Caitlynn never robbed me of a dream, but rather amplified my dreams and made reality the preferred existence. "I love you, Caitlynn Adams," I finally managed to say. And as I dropped to one knee, pulling out and opening the ring box, I asked her, "Will you be Caitlynn Winnett?"
After Adam asked me to marry him, it felt so surreal. Embarrassingly enough, I began to giggle uncontrollably. Between random spouts of laughter, I said yes! He admitted that his proposal was rather spontaneous, but as is our style and that this situation was perfect. He asked, "Would you like me to put it on?" to which I nodded still with an enormous smile on my face. He then put the most perfect ring on my finger and told me to turn quick and look at the valley. A group of finches flew across the valley and into the distance as Adam and I looked out over the most incredible mountain valley full of trees with changing leaves. He told me how he didn't want me to worry about finding a wedding location while in China, so he, along with my parents, had checked out an old, all-American barn, and that we were getting married on July 4th, 2015! At hearing this, I started to cry and laugh more. Before we continued our journey, we stood on one of the seats of the gazebo, looked out over the mountains, and shouted, "We're getting married!"
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