As promised I’m now going to share some photos from the weekend Theresa and I promised to spend the rest of our lives together. I had planned a romantic weekend in Leavenworth for some time before we went, but a nasty windstorm threatened to derail my plans. This storm left Seattle and the entire Puget Sound region without power for up to seven days. The island was also hit hard, leaving homes without power for four days, including my own. To further complicate matters, I had to finish grading my students’ final lab report the day the storm hit. I ended up taking Theresa with me to UW so I could finish it in the computer lab there. UW was unaffected by the storm – at least until I arrived. Soon after I started work the EE servers went down and Theresa and I were left wondering if we’d make it to Leavenworth that weekend at all.
Eventually I just gave up on the grading and the professor was very forgiving. Rather than wait for the servers to come back online, we returned to my dark studio on the island where my landlords had set up a temporary campsite with an indoor wood burning stove, gas-powered lantern and battery-operated radio. We used the time to warm up and finish packing with the intent to leave in the morning. Actually, Theresa had to work hard to talk me out of leaving that night since both mountain passes were closed.
The morning dawned and we left for the Cascades. Leavenworth can only be described as the most romantic town in Washington – even more so during the Christmas season. Modeled after a German Bavarian village, the town is right at home nestled at the base of several large snow-covered mountains. The Cascade Range really sets the stage and the town capitalizes on its picturesque setting. The architecture is accurate down to the artistic German-themed signs advertising both family-owned and corporate-spawned businesses. We arrived just as the sun started to set while carolers beckoned the crowds over to the gazebo to partake in the lighting ceremony.
While a live band performed Christmas music, the buildings were lit up one by one until we were all bathed in the colorful glow of a thousand holiday lights. Theresa and I did some makeshift polka dancing along with all the other people in the street while the sun finally set behind the rocky peaks. With the day nearing its end, we retreated to the nearest beer garden for some delicious wurst and imported bier. The Germans really know their stuff! While we enjoyed our dinner, we discussed our plans for tomorrow. Theresa was excited to go snowshoeing again as we had planned – she just had no idea I had a ring in my pocket!
We finally returned to our hotel long after the sun had set. The Pension Anna hotel was incredibly warm and inviting, and not just because it had electricity and warm water! Modeled after a European bed and breakfast, the hotel staff was friendly and made us feel welcome and well cared for. Our room had furniture that dated back to 1823! The continental breakfast was also very reminiscent of European breakfasts and gave us all the energy we needed for our trek into the snow-covered wilds of Washington’s Black Forest.
We went to Mass at a picture perfect little white chapel complete with a steeple, for Gaudete Sunday, the third Sunday of Advent – the Sunday of “joyous anticipation”. I was overflowing with joyous anticipation all through Mass, and as we gathered our gear, packed the Jeep and headed out for our trail. Here we are as we embark on a snowy path toward a lifetime of happy memories. As we made our way across the snow, we came upon this partially frozen mountain stream. It looked like an incredibly romantic spot (maybe good for popping the question) so I asked Theresa what she thought. Of course she agreed with me but I wasn’t ready just yet – I told her that on the romantic scale it ranked at about 8.5 out of 10. We quickly set out to find a perfect 10!
Not long after, I spotted a series of massive boulders perched at the base of the cliff face that enclosed the valley we were traversing. We started to make our way toward the rocks, stopping at the base of them to catch our breath and brush snow off our legs. Since I had the camera I took some pictures of Theresa doing just that. It was here that we spotted another boulder higher up. This one was sure to command an ideal view of the winter landscape so I told my angel to shoot a picture of me when I made it to the top.
It wasn’t until I summited that impressive landmark that I asked her to join me. She said the view had better be worth it and I promised that I’d make the climb worth her while. She guessed out loud that I’d reward her effort with a kiss and I hinted that I might have something better. Following in my footsteps, avoiding the pitfalls of snow-covered bushes, she made her way to the top and received her kiss. At this point I decided to tell her just what she means to me and how blessed I am to have her in my life. Going down on one knee (in snow shoes no less) I savored the endearing look on her face as I produced the ring I kept carefully hidden. Afterward we embraced (after nearly falling off the boulder together as she not-too-gracefully jumped down to her knees too). Once we regained our balance, I explained the history of the ring.
The ring is very special since it is a family heirloom. My grandfather gave it to my grandmother on her 29th birthday in Venice, Italy. She passed it to my mother who gave it to me. I had it restored and resized for Theresa’s finger and presented it to her in the same box my dad used to present my mom’s engagement ring to her. She just loves it. It meant so much to me to have both my grandmother and parent’s blessing as I gave it to Theresa – this way we were all welcoming her into our family. We all agree – I could not have made a better choice than her.