How We Met
I was 17 years old when I first met Nik. I was a free-spirited teenage girl enjoying my high-school years. Back in the day MySpace was a thing and that’s where I first encountered his friend request. He messaged me and we began “talking.” Soon thereafter, our chats turned into late night telephone conversations. We ended up dating for maybe 2 months before things didn’t work out. I didn’t know what I wanted and Nik always knew it was me…
I graduated high school and moved from Miami to Orlando to attend UCF. We parted ways and dated other people. Fast forward to January 2014… I was back in Miami during a school break & remember working on a scrapbook with my parents when I received a text from Nik. He told me he heard I was in town and asked if he could see me. I remember thinking “What in the world! It’s been so long!” As the brave girl that I was I called him to say, “I’m in my PJ’s at home working on a scrapbook and I leave to Orlando tomorrow…” & as the quirky guy that he’s always been he responded, “Okay, I’ll come in my PJ’s, see you in a few.” Nik was always up for the challenge with me… always. I was leaving the following day when Nik showed up to my house with a Sunflower. It was always those little things about Nik that were charming. His sense of detail and his sense of genuine character. We talked every day from that point on and when February came around, he planned a romantic getaway trip to St. Augustine for Valentine’s Day and we were sold on each other ever since!
how they asked
I always knew the day I proposed to Tani, it would be somewhere that truly defines us and our lifestyle. We both have a passion for the outdoors, especially hiking – so for her birthday I bought tickets to Portland, Oregon – a city she’s always wanted to visit. The Pacific Northwest in general has some of the most incredible waterfalls, so I knew this trip would be the perfect spot to propose.
I planned out the entire itinerary & presented it to her, excluding her birthday. I knew proposing on her birthday would be something she would never expect, so I simply told her that I found one of the best trails in Oregon to hike that day, and although it was a 3 hour drive, it would be worth it. By 6am, we were out the door and on our way to Willamette National Forest. I had bought her a cupcake and candles the day prior, but realized I forgot it an hour into the drive. She was not happy. I remember driving and thinking to myself “She has no idea I’m about to propose in a bit, and she’s arguing with me about a damn cupcake!” I knew I had to figure something out, so I stopped and bought her another one to make her happy, and continued the journey. Not the best start, but one to remember!
We arrived to Proxy Falls and hiked about 20 minutes up the trail. She was at a loss for words. It was breathtaking! We explored the view and spent the next 30 minutes admiring nature and taking photos. We were the only ones there at the time, which made the experience all the more intimate. I’ve always loved photography so when we arrived to Portland, I rented a tripod to capture some slow-shutter shots of the waterfalls. In reality, it was actually to film the proposal. I told her I was going to go set up the tripod so we can take a photo together and needed her to stay put. I walked up to her and by the time I counted down 15 seconds, I was dropping to one knee to propose. She said “YES!”
