just can't contain myself!

so, yesterday, andy and i had plans to go for a hike at one of our favorite places and hopefully catch some of the fall colors turning. we've been crossing paths a lot recently with work and other commitments, so i'm glad we had set aside the day to do something for ourselves, and enjoy the outdoors. and it ended out being a beautiful summer-like day.

so the day started off with sleeping in and some chocolate chip pancakes. we got our stuff together for the hike and headed up to the Delaware Water Gap. we were doing my favorite hike, a place that andy and i had hiked on our first unofficial date back in June 2006, as i call it (which was in the rains that led to the 2006 flood of the Delaware River).

about halfway up

so the hike up Mt. Tammany is really steep on the way up, and its been ages since we've hiked there (especially when we were well conditioned to hiking all summer). we made it to the top for the spectacular view, which is also a great lunch spot. unfortunately there were stink bugs all over the place that were attacking, so we got up to head down the mountain. Andy asked me if there was another higher spot that we could get another view from the top, and I said i didn't think so, but i climbed on top of a rock that put me higher than anything else. Andy noticed that my shoes were untied, and said he would tie them for me.

Once he finished tying, he reached into his left pocket, got down on one knee, and said, "Well, I think this is a good time to propose... that I would like to spend the rest of my life hiking with you."

And I think that I was just so shocked and speechless that I don't even know what happened next, and we were sitting on the rock and he was putting this GORGEOUS rock on my finger.

and then this:

 

so i wore the ring down the mountain, holding andy's hand nearly the whole way. it just seems so surreal! i can't believe this really happened! this has just been a special place for andy and i. and as he pointed out that the Delaware River is really something that has joined us for multiple reasons, even being the border line separating the two states that we've come from and we meet in the middle.

i love this ring!! (almost as much as i love andy!)

so, no we don't have a date yet, we've got a lot to figure out, so we're just enjoying being really happy right now.

still can't even believe this is real!!