by Megan

I spent the week after Christmas in Austin with Adam where we shopped, ate at some of his local favorites, drove around looking for an open cupcakery, watched “Top Gear”, and chilled. Rarely do we have a full week together, but when we do I treasure the time we spend together. Long-distance relationships are hard, especially when said relationship has been long distance for a year and a half.

All week, Adam had mentioned going to the New Year’s Eve fireworks downtown, but after we spent the day downtown shopping and saw how bad the parking and traffic was already getting, he decided to scratch that idea. We got back to his apartment and freshened up a bit so we could go “out on the town” for the night. A bit after 5 Adam said, “Let’s go,” to which I replied, “It’s only 5. We aren’t grandparents.” Then he said he wanted to go catch the last sunset of 2010. Okay then.

The two of us loaded up in his car and he drove us to Mount Bonnell. Mount Bonnell has a gorgeous view of Lake Austin and the amazing houses surrounding it and a view of downtown Austin (complete with an unfortunate view of the Texas Tower), as well as a beautiful pavilion where lots of tourists snap pictures or hangout. After we parked the car we walked up the ridiculously steep stairs to the summit. Mind you, I’m wearing cute pointy-toe ballet flats – because that’s what all experienced hikers wear.

At the top, Adam takes me over to a smaller somewhat private overlook and I notice we arrived at just the perfect time, because the sun has just begun to set and cast a pink hue across the sky. It was breathtaking. We stand there for a good while chatting about how pretty the view was and which houses on the lake I wanted him to buy me.

Hey, a girl can dream right?

Next thing I know Adam is PROPOSING!! TO ME!!! I don’t even remember everything he said leading up to the “Will you marry me” part but I remember being a bit surprised. In a good way. Right then and there I went from girlfriend to fiancée and I was beaming.

Adam's two-cents:

A year and a half ago, I ended up moving to Austin, TX for work. For some reason, people who spent generally four to five years at an institution in Fayetteville generally want all or a portion of Austin, TX to burn to the ground in a spectacular fashion (and people from Austin can't seem to find Fayetteville on a map), so this poses a problem...

After making lots of late night, five-hundred+ mile drives up from the ATX to Meggie World (aka Conway, Arkansas) and spending an eternity shopping for a shiny carbon and metal object, I decided to ask Megan to get married, in Austin.  We went atop Mount Bonnell, a hill in Austin, and I proposed during the last sunset of 2010 (in an operation now famed "Operation No-More-Beyonce" after Megan's love of randomly singing parts of a somewhat well-known Beyonce Knowles song).  Since you're reading this site, she obviously said yes.  That said, I'm lucky she said yes, as she could see a 1930's era limestone tower off in the distance.

engagement pictures courtesy of KES Weddings