How we met: Hannah and I met in 2012 during our sophomore year of College at Azusa Pacific University. We both were attending an off-campus semester near Yosemite National Park. During the first weeks of this semester, we went on a six day backpacking trip through Ansel Adams Wilderness, which is where we like to say it all began.
A few weeks after our backpacking trip, we went on our first date. We went to Newport Beach and went out to eat and for coffee at Alta Coffee. After dinner, we walked on the beach, hung out, and talked on a life guard tower for a few hours. I was pretty nervous, because I really wanted to ask her to be my girlfriend. We had been talking about our past relationships and what we expected in a significant other. After a while I asked her, and being the smart girl she is she said: “As long as you get me ice cream first.”
About four months later, Hannah and I were in Coronado, California on a brisk evening. We were just sitting on rocks simply enjoying each others company, talking about nonsense and dreaming our lives away. I so desperately wanted to tell Hannah that I loved her in this moment, but for some reason I got too shy, nervous, scared, or whatever you may call it, but that night I finally told her…
How I asked: Two weeks ago I brought Hannah back to these rocks. She had no idea what was about to happen. In her eyes we were just going to take a few couple photos on the beach together and then take family pictures. So there we were, with Katie Wenzel (Katie Boink; @katieboink) taking our pictures. Hannah and I ran over to the rocks. We were standing on top of a wet rock looking out at the waves talking again about nonsense and dreaming our lives away. Then I said: “Hannah, it’s crazy to me that two years ago we were on these rocks and I was terrified to tell you I loved you, and now we are planning on spending the rest of our lives together.”
And then I pulled out the ring and got on a knee and asked her to commit the rest of her life with me. She was crying and I couldn’t get a word out of her. It took her a while to stop hiding her face and actually look and me and the ring.
Afterwards her friends and my family all ran to us on the beach, and then we went and drank champagne and celebrated. Hannah’s parents surprised her as well, and we finished celebrating the night having s’mores on the beach and dinner with everyone.
Photos by Katie Boink Photography