Engaged!

Ashley and I got engaged yesterday! I took her up to the Rocky Mountain National Park near Estes Park, CO, which is about 75 miles north of where we live in Denver. I tried to keep it a surprise for as long as I could and all I would tell her was that we were going on a "magical adventure". Before we got in the car at our apartment, we saw this really cool insect sitting on the rear of an adjacent car. COOL!!





So we drove the hour and a half up to Estes Park, CO and were immediately amazed by the beautiful colors inside the Rocky Mountain National Park. It was mostly cloudy, but the Fall colors were in full effect.








Our first stop after entering the park was to Sprague Lake. It has a 1/2 mile trail around the lake, and when we first got there it was raining but it stopped soon after. Here's Ashley and I near the lake.




During a small gap of sunshine, there was a beautiful reflection of a nearby mountain on the lake.




Tripods are always good for not wanting to take the shot where one of us is holding the camera. You have no idea how many photos we have where I'm holding the camera up high and it looks like I have a double chin!




Then we moved on over to Bear Lake where we had lunch. A tiny little squirrel-like animal was pestering us at first but soon after we moved, we were able to enjoy a little picnic with a view.







Back on the main road, we saw a bunch of cars pulled to the side and we soon saw what all the fuss was about...a HUGE elk was grazing on nearby grass. It was amazing to see such a big animal up close!




My whole plan was to propose at the top of this mountain we were going up on Trail Ridge Road, but that was foiled when, at two miles above sea level, it started POURING snow! It was so cold outside I couldn't bring myself to make Ashley go outside while the wind was howling and the snow was pouring down.




So back down the mountain we headed and I soon found this small trail and knew this was the spot. As we were walking another herd of elk showed and and for a moment, I though I was going to have to find another spot. But they stayed far away and left us alone.







This is the view of the site I asked Ashley to marry me. I think she new something was coming but still she was very surprised when I got down on my knee.




Here's a photo of us soon after I popped the question. Oh by the way, she said YES!!!




After the proposal we went to this amazing restaurant called Flagstaff House in the mountain overlooking Boulder, Colorado. An amazing night to cap off a perfect day. The view from the restaurant was gorgeous.







So now you are up-to-date with our happenings here in Denver. We are so excited to get planning with our next phase of our lives. We are still continuing our job hunt, and we both hope something cool will come along for both of us soon!