So if you follow me on Instagram or Facebook, you probably know that I recently got engaged on my trip to New Zealand. It’s been such a whirlwind of excitement and I’ve been dying to write a post all about our engagement story. I’ve only told our family and close friends the story but I need to tell you guys of course!

It was about the 5th day into our trip in New Zealand and we were advised multiple times to visit Cathedral Cove by travel sites as well as locals. I know that this location has been seen in the Chronicles of Narnia movies and plenty of others, so it was something that I did have on my list. We were under the impression that it was a quick drive there and that’s it! BUT it was not only a bit of drive there but also a hike to get to Cathedral Cove. We were very determined to see it so we ventured on and hiked to the location. I’m not much of a hiker because I have asthma and strenuous exercise or cardio tends to give me difficulty with breathing so by the time we reached the cove, I was exhausted! It was breathtaking though, so much that I forgot how tired I was when I saw the view.

The boyfriend wanted to have us take a picture with the cove in the background, which I was totally up for but he didn’t want to ask anyone to help us. So he attempted to place my new camera on a very uneven rock that was fairly close to the water, that was only getting closer and closer to us. I had to stand there while he tried to set up the timer and felt really uneasy not only about the camera, but that I was in the way of so many other people trying to take pictures. I felt like I was standing there for nearly 10 minutes until I impatiently begged him to just give up and ask someone to take the picture. Little did I know that he was trying to actually set up a video recording so that he can tape the proposal, but I didn’t find that out until later.

He then suggested that we walk further away from the cove and people so that we can sit on these rocks on the beach. I was more than happy to do that so that I could take a little break and sit down! He just held my hand  after we sat and asked ‘How have you put up with me all of these years?’ and because our relationship is more on the quirky and very laid back end, my response was ‘With A LOT of patience’. I guess that was the response he was looking for, so he got down on one knee and asked me ‘Well, then how do you feel about spending 30 more years with me?’ which I was awfully confused about because we are both in our late 20s so 30 more years doesn’t seem like a reasonable number! 🙂 So I said, ‘ONLY 30 more years?!!!’ Out of nervousness, he didn’t really think about the math correctly, so he just says, ‘Or 40, or 50. We can renegotiate later! Will you marry me?’

And my answer of course, was YES! I don’t talk about him very much on my blog but just to give you guys an idea, we are high school sweethearts. Just hit 14 years together this New Years, so we have been by each others’ sides for as long as we can remember. I can’t imagine being with anyone else for the rest of my life that is as kind, caring, and makes me laugh or makes me as frustrated as he does. Looking forward to what the future has in store for us!

The ring is from Brilliant Earth which is a company that has locations in Beverly Hills, San Francisco, Chicago, and Boston. Their mission and philosophy is to provide beautiful pieces that are responsibly sourced while also donating a percentage of their profits to help communities that have suffered from unethical practices in the jewelry industry. I was very impressed with the boyfriend’s choice in both the company and the ring that he chose for me! I’m not the type of girl who’s really thought about what type of ring I wanted. I always wanted to leave that up to him and knew that he knows me well enough to find the perfect one. And he did! It’s classic, understated, and elegant- I’m in love with it!