The Proposal

Man, who knew that from Crismon's wedding last December that I would get married that next year?! I sometimes still can't believe it but I really wouldn't want to have it any other way. On more than one occasion do I wake up with a smile on my face. It is the best feeling to love someone and for them to love you back. And to top it off, it's with Austin Glen Doutre-score! :) 

I know most of you who actually read this blog have heard the proposal story but it's for history sake...

On Friday, August 24th Austin drove up after work to Gresham. He got here around 9:30 and we ate cobbler with the parental units then right away Austin went to the living room to talk to Mom and Dad and ask permission for him to marry me. He had a really great time talking with them and learning a little bit more about me and an opportunity to express why he loved me. 

Then, Sat the 25th we got off early to the gorge before it got too hot and so we could have enough time to buy a ring in the afternoon. In my mind before this whole weekend adventure, I knew we were going to look for rings but I thought for sure that he was going to propose the following week when I would be with him and his family. He knew I didn't want to get proposed to in a really public place so he asked nonchalantly: "so do a lot of people go to Multnomah falls?" Without even thinking about it, I told him that there will be tons of people there and it's always busy. 

We stopped by crown point, took some pictures at Bridal Veil falls, then headed off to Multnomah Falls. We get out to go to the bathroom before we head on the hike. But just before that he says "hey let's get my backpack so we can put our waterbottles and snacks in to carry up." I didn't realize that he had a Wal-Mart temporary ring in a cute pink box inside his backpack. We did spit to commit on the lower level bridge (you could probably guess what his was ;) and then hiked up the rest of the way to the top. We took some pictures and then walked a little ways farther back along the stream area that dumps into the falls so we could find a rock or anything to sit and eat our snacks. 

We found a tree root or some sort of branch (now that I think about it, I can't put my finger on the word but one of the pictures shows a little bit of what it looked like). Anyway the cool part was there was an 'A' sketch into it so now we know where to come back to find the spot :) Everything was just really natural and no life shattering conversations going on but all of a sudden he stops talking and I look over and he has this huge grin on his face. My first thought was "he's going to propose right now." I can't believe I felt that instinct because I thought for sure it wouldn't happen now. So I tried to probe him to telling him what he was thinking because obviously it was good :) so I said, "So Austin, tell me what you're thinking. " He smiled and said: "well if I tell you what I'm thinking then I got to ask you a question." Then he reaches inside his front pocket of the backpack and kneels down on both knees and opens up this pink box with the Wal-Mart ring. Of course me, I still couldn't believe it and I felt bad because I kept saying, "are you for real right now?"He's like I've never done this before but just asked sweetly, "Julia, will you marry me?" and I quickly said "yes!" After that we had what Austin's boss calls "perma-grin" going on. We tried to take a bunch of pictures and we just kept saying, "we're just a bunch of kids", "I can't believe this is happening", "this is real", and laughing but loving every minute. The switchbacks trail was not too far behind us and I said, "you know, people might have seen us but I bet we just made their day by having seen a proposal" :) 

We finally came down the falls after a couple of hours and changed our clothes so we could go to the mall to buy the ring I had picked out the Monday before. Then we went to Chinese happiness and then home. We didn't tell anyone that we were officially engaged for 8 hours. We just enjoyed it together but once we told Mom and Dad they were ecstatic and then it was all the phone calls and texts that were the best because through all of this I couldn't stop smiling and my cheeks actually got numb. This was the text that Austin sent to his family: "So I woke up this morning with the usual thought, 'I love Julia Lewis', but today was different than any other day. I decided to take the risk in asking my best friend to be my eternal companion. She said yes, so its official!"

We are SO HAPPY and basically we can't wait to take our kids to Multnomah Falls to show where Mom & Dad got engaged! :)

Now for lots of pictures.....

At Bridal Veils Falls

Two words: Holy handsome!

At the top of Multnomah Falls

Soon after we got engaged

The lucky couple who took the pic for us after we were engaged. 

Right after we told Mom and Dad the news 

August 31: Mom came and picked me up in Puyallup where I was with Austin and the Doutre's and she brought the official ring. We saw Austin during his lunch break where he put it on officially. Who knew that hat hair, paint shirt, and a scruff would look so attractive? Only Austin could pull it off. I can't get over how happy this picture makes me feel. He's just the best and I love him so much.