This has been the most anticipated blog post yet, and the story I have been most excited to share! The third, and final part to our Colorado adventures will forever be my favorite.

Some of you have heard this story before (probably a few times since I never get tired of telling it), but for those of you who may not know- this is our engagement story!

I am overjoyed to share it with you.

If you have been following our grand adventure in Colorado this past fall (check out part one and part two of the story), you know just how “grand” it really was. I seem to call every trip “the trip of a lifetime” because usually that’s how I feel- this however really was one of those times.

After traveling all around the state, Jourdan and I, along with our friends Kellcie and Chandler were wrapping up our trip in Estes Park. We had plans to drive back into Denver to spend the last remaining days of our trip with family who lived in town.

When we woke up on the morning of October 2^nd (now one of my favorite days), It was just like any other day – or so I thought. I was completely unaware of what this day would mean to me. When I tell this story people often stop me here and ask: “did you know it was happening that day?” and my answer is always no. Like I mentioned before, our plan for the day was to take our time and make our way back to Denver, stopping at a lake to snap a few pictures along the way.

Jourdan had mentioned stopping at this lake a few nights before and I really thought nothing of it. He said someone recommended it to him and it was worth driving out to Boulder to check out.

With this rough plan in mind, I found myself in no hurry to get ready that morning. We needed to be out of the Airbnb by 10 am, and at 9am as everyone was packing up their things and getting ready to leave, I was still comfortably seated on the couch sipping my coffee. One of my favorite things to do in Airbnb’s or vacation rentals is to sign and read the guest book- and to add to Jourdan’s stress I thought that particular morning would be the perfect time to do so.

Thinking we would be in the car all day, I decided I didn’t need to fix my hair or do my make up. I thought if we did stop at this lake Jourdan has been talking about, I could just throw on some sunglasses, and no one would know the difference- this by the way is not typically me. I am always running late because I took extra time curling my hair or attempting a winged eyeliner! I just happened to choose that day to opt for the natural look!

With that in mind and knowing I would want to look nice, Jourdan suggested we go ahead and dress up for pictures. He explained that he hadn’t had the chance to wear his favorite shirt on the trip and it would be one last chance to get a few nice shots in before we headed home. So clever!

I eventually agreed and got dressed and ready to go! We all loaded up in the car and headed for Boulder.

Little did I know, but Jourdan and the group had a whole day to fill and a lot of time to kill.

Jourdan convincingly explained that that the best time to visit this lake was at sun set and seeing as it was still early in the day, we should take advantage of the time we had and explore the city of Boulder a bit.

Without skipping a beat, I agreed, and we started looking for things to see and do. Our first stop was at Avery Brewing Company for lunch and some beers. We had been drinking this beer throughout our trip, so it made perfect sense to me that we stop here. We hung out on the lawn a bit and then moved inside for lunch.

I sent this picture to my mom while waiting on our food- I had no idea it would be one of the last few pictures I took before adding a new accessory!

After we finished lunch, we headed over to the center of town and walked around a bit. We strolled through Downtown Boulder and explored the Pearl Street area. We had never been there before, so it was fun to see! That being said, because of COVID-19, a lot of things were closed making activities here pretty limited.

Still not realizing Jourdan’s plan or the fact that he was trying to pass the time, we then drove through the University of Colorado’s campus and surrounding areas. We saw as much as we could from the car and then decided it was time to treat ourselves to ice cream.

Still not picking up on anything, we drove to the closest Marble Slab and sat outside as we enjoyed our afternoon treat. By this time, it was starting to get into the late afternoon hours and finally time to head to our chosen spot by the lake.

This is where the fun really started .

We were told it was just a short walk to where we wanted to go, so together we headed off down a trail. We laughed and joked a bit because it ended up being a little longer of a walk than anticipated and I was more than proud of my ability to “hike in heels” (I was wearing the best waterproof booties).

Following the trail, slowly getting closer, we made our way through a section of pine trees. Before we knew it, the scene opened in front of us and it was one of the most gorgeous places I had ever seen.

The sun set through the clouds casted a soft, gentle, light on the lake and made the reflection of the majestic snow-capped mountains dance on the water. The contrast between the dark ever-green trees that surrounded us and the light brown color of the grass that rustled as the breeze blew by made this place feel dreamlike.

The four of us stood there for a moment to take it all in before eventually settling down just to the left of where the trail dropped us off.

Jourdan and I sat together on a blanket for a while just admiring the sun set when it was suggested we take a picture together. That was Jourdan’s reasoning for making the trip out there after all!!

We stood up, and he led me over to a sandy spot just by the water’s edge. From there you could see the whole lake in all its beauty.

The two of us stood with Kellcie who was there to “take our picture” and then after our “picture was taken” Jourdan turned to her and asked for a moment alone with me.

Even up to this point I had no idea what was happening, and I found myself incredibly confused. I asked Jourdan “why ask them leave; don’t they want a picture too???”. He gave me this look and my heart skipped a beat.

In that moment, as the two of us stood there with no one else in sight, Jourdan reached for his back pocket. He pulled out a folded-up piece of paper with his handwriting on it and began to read.

The tears began to flow as the meaning of his words echoed in my mind.

Not only were his words special, but the delivery of them had a special meaning too. You see, he had written and was reading me a rhyme.

This is significant because growing up his mom would write a rhyme for any big life event. Every birthday or graduation warranted a rhyme or letter, and now he was sharing this one with me.

Through my tears I heard him say “why don’t we give this forever thing a try?”. He then took my hand again and asked me to marry him. With the tears really flowing now, I managed to get out the answer to the easiest question I have ever been asked: YES!

He pulled out a box and inside was the most stunning ring I had ever seen. Still shaking and crying he placed in on my finger- I couldn’t believe it!

We turned and there were Kellcie and Chandler cheering us on from afar.

Jourdan had also hired a secret photographer to capture this special moment, so we took the next little while to take a few pictures and soak it all in. It was all such a whirlwind with so many happy tears and laughs. We felt like the only people in the world out there by that lake.

To continue the celebration, we headed to Denver – like I thought we were doing all along! I found out Kellcie and Chandler really did have plans to meet up with family, but Jourdan and I were headed to dinner instead. He made the two of us reservations at Tavernetta next to Union Station to celebrate before staying the night at a hotel called The Source.

Together we drank champagne and called our families to share the good news.

To keep the celebration going, on Saturday we went to visit Jourdan’s Aunt who really made us feel special. We were greeted with balloons, white roses, and champagne.

I said it earlier, but this entire adventure truly was the trip of a lifetime. What started out as a trip with friends to explore the great state of Colorado, ended with our engagement!

Thank you for reading along with me and joining us in celebration. Now its time to plan a wedding!!!

All the love,

Kate

Photo Cred: Ellie Mandeville Photography