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It all started on a Wednesday afternoon in June that I had off from work. I was at home doing various chores around the apartment when I thought I heard a knock at the door. I went to the door and, standing on my very tippy toes, tried to look through the peep hole to see if any one was there. Seeing nothing I turned to go back to what I was doing but I stopped and second guessed my ability to really see what is outside through the peep hole as I am very short and peep holes usually do me no good whatsoever. So I turned back and opened the door. I looked out and saw nothing until I looked down and there stood Ben’s nephew, Cyrus age 3, holding a note up to me. Shocked by the realization that a 3-year-old was standing by himself at my door, I asked him in. “No,” he replied and waved the note in my direction. “Go to Gateway Mesa” it read. I looked at Cyrus. “What is Gateway Mesa?” I asked. Cyrus shrugged. Then I hear, “the open space that Ben usually calls ‘Open Mesa.’ He said to hurry.” Peaking around the corner, I see Josh, Ben’s brother and now best man, sitting on the steps outside my door.

I thank Cyrus and Josh, shut the and rush to change and get ready to leave. I throw on a sun dress, brush my hair and rush out the door in record time. The whole drive over I think, “What is going on? Is this really it? Is he finally going to… No, I can’t think that!” and the excitement builds but when I get to Gateway, Ben’s car is not there and there is no sign of anyone around.

I begin searching for any clue as to my next step but I don’t see any signs to follow or notes to guide me. Finally I send Ben a text message to ask him “what next?” “Follow the arrows,” is my only response. “Arrows? What arrows?” I think. Expanding my search area I finally spot a twig arrow on the ground and begin to follow the signs made from rocks and twigs along the trail. At one point I must have strayed from the path because I heard a ‘bird’ sound and look up just in time to see Ben duck back into the bushes.

Finally I found Ben sitting in the shade of a tree next to a cliff with the most beautiful view of the mountains. He has a picnic laid out and a smug smile on his face. “All this for picnic? He would.” I think. We spend the afternoon relaxing and enjoying the beautiful day and amazing view and chatting about everything and nothing at all. We had fallen asleep in the shade of our tree, for how long I don’t know, but when I awoke the day had cooled and the shadows were getting long. I woke Ben and went out to sit on the rock cliff in the sun to warm up. Ben came and sat behind me and put his arms around my shoulders. Once warm we decided we should get going but when I got up and turned, Ben was crouching on his knees. Thinking something was wrong, I tried to help him but he remained on the ground. Then he lifted a small black box out from his pocket. My mind raced and I was sure that it was all a dream. I had completely forgotten about my expectations that I had had in the car on the way over. As Ben opened the box , the sun caught the shiny object which glittered and shone with the brilliance of a thousand tiny stars. I almost didn’t hear when he asked, “Erin, will you marry me?” Silence stretched on for a moment, for him an eternity. When I finally came to, all of my excitement burst out at once as I threw my arms around him and exclaimed, “YES!” I almost knocked the both of us off the cliff. Fortunately he’s a strong guy!