My Very Own Love Story

I have fallen out of the habit of blogging, like seriously out of the habit. It has been far too long but that is going to change and I want to start back by sharing a very special story, my very own love story. Normally I am the one behind the camera capturing happy couple's special days but this time it is my turn to be in front of the camera and say I do. My amazing fiancé, Kainoa and I are eloping in the Columbia River Gorge this October. We are planning an intimate gathering at the base of Horsetail Falls to tie the knot.

My love and I at Horsetail Falls

Our special day is going to be magical but what is more magical is the story of how we got here. We met back in high school. We were friends throughout school but after we graduated we kind of fell out of touch until a chance meeting. A good mutual friend of ours from high school just so happened to live a few apartments away from me, I had only lived there for a couple of months at that point and I had no idea. I was coming out of my apartment and just happened to run into the both of them in the parking lot. Immediately it was like nothing had ever changed, the two of us were thick as thieves. It didn't take us long to realize we had something truly special. 

We started dating and eventually got an apartment together. One of my fondest memories was our first night in that apartment. We didn't have anything moved in yet but we were so excited we couldn't wait. We brought in our tv, blankets and pillows and camped out on the freshly shampooed and still wet living room floor.

The day he proposed to me the first time (Look at us, WE WERE SUCH BABIES!!)

We were madly in love, he proposed to me under the space needle in Seattle. We were young, dumb and obviously not quite ready to take that step yet and we ended up separating. I was devastated, he was the love of my life. Time passed and wounds healed but things were never really the same. I may not have wanted to admit it but I always knew in the back of my mind, if it wasn't him, it wasn't going to be anyone.

Our spur of the moment engagement photo for the first time around

Six years passed, we both grew so much and life rewarded us by allowing us to find our way back to each other. Kainoa came across my profile on a dating site and thought it couldn't hurt to say hi. We started talking constantly and eventually decided to hang out. Immediately we were right back to being the best of friends. With our friendship blooming, Kainoa invited me to tag along on a road trip he was planning on taking. That road trip was the best thing that has ever happened to me. On our trip we stayed in a cabin just south of the Grand Canyon. Huddled together in the snow, in the middle of the night under the stars, it was undeniable that I was still completely head over heals for him. Shortly after returning home from the trip I told Kainoa how I felt and he obviously reciprocated enthusiastically. 

At the Grand Canyon, before it hit us that we were still super in love

From that point on we pretty much picked up right where we had left off. We started talking about marriage and he officially proposed to me while we were on a trip to the Washington coast. I love him with every ounce of me and I can't wait to start this journey in our lives together.

At the beach, being our goofy selves. He proposed to me again just hours after these were taken.