The Proposal

So there we were - in Portland, Oregon enjoying our vacation.  We had four full days there, so we planned to spend the first two venturing outside the city to see some of the natural beauty that Oregon has to offer, and the second two exploring the city itself.

Nothing remarkable happened the first day, but we had fun and I was doing well with my goal of just enjoying myself, rather than getting ahead of myself.

Day One - the stunning Multnomah Falls

After breakfast on day two, we set off on a beautiful drive through the Cascade Mountains towards the Pacific coast.  The mountain roads were windy and a bit scary, but the scenery was stunning and we were happy.

After a tasty stop at the Tillamook cheese factory, we proceeded to drive up the coast, headed towards Cannon Beach.  The scenery again was absolutely gorgeous, and  I couldn't help but be cheerful - how could you not with views like that?

Beautiful Seaside Vistas

When we arrived in the small town of Cannon Beach, we headed down towards the beach to check out Haystack Rock, one of the largest monoliths in the world, and the main reason people make the pilgrimage to this small coastal town.

We took our shoes off and started walking down the beach, keeping an eye on the horizon all the while, hoping the clouds would clear so that we could catch the sunset over the Pacific (it wasn't looking promising).  We started walking south, and just kept walking.  At first we shared the beach with countless other vacationers, but the further we got from Haystack Rock, the more the crowds thinned.  After a while we were all but alone.  Eventually, I decided that we'd best head back sooner rather than later, as it was going to be quite a long walk to where we'd started.  Before starting the trek though, we stopped to rest for a bit on a ledge that jutted out from one of the cliffs that hugged the coast.  

"Our" secluded beachside cliffs

There we sat for a while, chatting, admiring the view, and stealing a few kisses.  Finally, I suggested that we'd best be heading back, but David had other plans  "Just one more thing," he said, as he stood up, moved to face me and got down on one knee.  Though I'll never forget the moment, for the life of me I can't remember much of what he said.   However, I do know it ended with "Will you marry me?" accompanied by the presentation of the perfect engagement ring.  Of course I said yes, and we sat there a while longer soaking it all in.  It was a wonderful moment - we were so far removed from everyone that we could really just enjoy each other's company - since we didn't have cell service, even calling our families was out of the question.

So pretty and sparkly!

Walking back up the beach was surreal - we were both so happy (and David was probably so relieved!) and yet everyone we were passing had no idea.  I felt as thought everyone should somehow know, but didn't.  It was like our own special secret.

We're engaged!

When we got back to town we discovered that our options for dinner were limited.  We wound up at Cannon Beach Hardware - a quirky little place that was quite literally a hardware store, but with a restaurant mixed in.  You'd think that any sort of food served at this establishment would be mediocre at best, but it was actually really good!

After we ate, we headed back to Portland, making a quick stop once we finally had cell service to share the good news with family and a few friends.  With Tillamook behind us, we got back onto the road that would take us over the mountains.  By this point the rain that would have obscured our sunset view had started, and we actually came to a dead stop for nearly an hour due to a scary accident likely caused by someone taking the slippery mountain roads too quickly.  We didn't mind the holdup.

By the time we got back to Portland it was 9PM Pacific time, and we once again found ourselves essentially out of touch with our family and friends in the Eastern timezone - fine by us.  We'd worked up an appetite once again (eating was a big theme of the trip!) so we headed back to the hotel restaurant where we ordered (prepare yourself...) glazed donut sliders (also with Tillamook cheese!), poutine, and local Oregon beers.  A tasty end to an amazing day.

Sinfully delicious...

So after all of that - was I surprised?  No, not really.  But was I still in a bit of disbelief that it had actually happened?  Yes!