The Story Of Our Engagement

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Thursday, March 24th, 2016

I woke up on Thursday thinking it was just another day of vacation bliss. The day prior we had gone skiing at Keystone, which was a bit rough for me because a) I’m the “worlds okayest skier” and, b) it was a straight-up blizzard alllllll day. However, Ethan absolutely loves snowboarding and he’s incredible at it, so I really tried to suck it up and just do it. Overall, we had a good day on the mountain and Ethan got one last day of snowboarding out of his system for the season.

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Please notice the blizzard happening before our eyes.
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This shirt was made for me.

So back to Thursday, aka, the best day ever. We woke up that morning and it was absolutely gorgeous outside. The view outside our condo was like a picture out of a magazine. Completely white with snow, infinite amounts of tall, beautiful trees, and on that day, perfectly blue sky. It was a miracle.


We had already gotten our day on the mountain, so now it was time to do some other Colorado-like activities, including exploring the town of Breckenridge a little bit. Months ago, when Ethan planned this trip for us, we had talked about going hiking on one of the days we were there. I obviously love doing active things like that (as long as it’s not blizzard-ing), so I was all for it. But first, we went into town and shopped for a few hours. Then we went back to our condo and ate some delicious leftover pizza from the night before. At about 1 pm I asked Ethan when he wanted to go hiking. He said, “It looks like the warmest part of the day is around 3-3:30, so we can go then.” I thought, “Wow, another two and a half hours? Oh well, fine by me to wait until it’s warmer.” Because if you can’t tell, I’m not a huge fan of freezing cold temperatures. So I didn’t think a thing of it. Little did I know, we had to wait to head to the hiking trail because my best friend and her husband were en route to Colorado to witness the best moment of my life. Ethan and I killed a few hours playing what is now my favorite card game – SkipBo – and watching Friends, also our favorite.


Once it was almost 3 o’clock, I started bundling up and getting ready to go. We drove up the mountain to the beautiful trail and got out of the car. The whole trip we had been playing the license plate game and keeping track of all the different states we saw (we ended up getting 33 states total), so I was excited to point out another Kansas license plate in the parking lot a few cars away from us. Of course, being the oblivious person that I apparently am, I thought nothing of it and proceeded to the snowy path. Looking back, Ethan did seem to be in a bit of a hurry, as he headed to the trail ahead of me and I snapped a few pictures of him with the insanely gorgeous scenery in the background, then jogged to catch up.

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The trail was stunning and perfect. It wasn’t exactly “groomed” but with my snow boots I could manage my footing just fine. Ethan on the other hand was wearing tennis shoes, and he wasn’t wearing a hat or gloves either. Throughout the hike he kept saying, “Brrr, I’m cold” with his hands shoved in his pockets. I even offered him my gloves, which he denied — because he says he was actually a sweaty, nervous wreck at that point. HA, had me fooled! We stopped along the trail a few times to snap pictures of the view and take selfies with the mountains in the background.
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We would stop occasionally to kiss and say, “I love you”, but that wasn’t anything out of the ordinary. Ethan led the way throughout the majority of the hike, but about halfway through he told me to get in front. I didn’t hesitate; I was loving it. This is apparently when he moved the engagement ring from one of his inside pockets to a more accessible pocket in front. Again, chick in the front is clueless. I told him, “We should take a selfie kissing with the pretty mountains in the background!” He of course agreed (as he always does 😉 ) and told me that we were nearing a “lookout spot” that would be perfect for a picture. As we continued to walk, I saw the spot and there was a couple standing right outside of it. My immediate reaction was to run to them and ask them to take our picture before they had a chance to leave. Before Ethan could stop me, I started approaching these two bundled up individuals, and that’s when my mind started spinning.

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This is the path leading right up to the spot. Eek!

It was almost as if time stood still in that moment, because a million different things ran through my mind in just a split second. I looked at the random stranger and thought, “That girl is pretty. She kinda looks like Shelby.” My stomach drops. “Wait a second. Holy s***, that is Shelby! And… Ross?! Did Shelby come to Colorado this week too and not tell me? And why the hell would she be in the exact same spot as Ethan and I right now?” Finally, after all of these thoughts ran through my mind, I glanced to my left to see Ethan getting down on one knee with a ring box in his hand. Finally, it clicked. Oh my God, this is seriously happening. Ethan is proposing to me! And my best friend is here in Colorado watching it happen!? OH MY GOD. Never in my entire life have I been so completely baffled, caught off guard, or overwhelmed with happiness.

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Ethan looking back at Ross and Shelby thinking, “Is she gonna say yes?!”

I immediately fell to my knees and all I could manage to get out was, “Oh my god!” in between high-pitched squeals and cries, and with some prying from Ethan, I finally muttered a “YES!” If you watch the video, I even throw my glove off once I realize what’s happening, but it’s the WRONG hand. (Blame it on the altitude.) Eventually, I tore off my left glove too and let Ethan slide the most beautiful, perfect ring I’ve ever seen onto my left-hand ring finger. The moment I’ve been waiting for. We hugged, kissed, and said our “I love you’s” and then I pushed back and said, “And my parents knew and everything?! Holy crap!!!” I just couldn’t believe that everyone kept this enormous secret from me. Then I got to hug my best friend, who has been planning this with Ethan for months now. How in the world I had NO idea this was going to happen is beyond me. But I could not have planned a more perfect proposal myself. I wouldn’t change a single thing about it, and I cannot wait to marry the man who just made me the happiest girl in the whole world. ?❤️

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Thank you all for the kind words, love, and support! We can’t wait to plan this wedding! 🙂

Shanna

#wellnessforthewin

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