A wonderful weekend camping trip to Edge of the World… and a diamond ring. We’re engaged!

I meannnn… who saw this coming?

Ryan and I got engaged a few weeks ago, which is really exciting!

If you’re new here, Ryan and I have been “millennial married” for a while. We’ve been living together on a joint lease for about four years, we share dog custody (of Yukon and now Ochi), we have shared bank accounts and credit cards…

…so this latest step is really just a formality of a relationship that’s already pretty stable and secure.

Regardless, it does feel pretty awesome to make our relationship official, in every sense of the word.

I knew a proposal/ engagement was coming soon(ish) because Ryan and I had talked about it/us/our plans for the future, but I was still pretty caught off-guard the actual moment it happened!

I’d figured it would take a while longer than it did.

And, in true Flagstaff fashion, I was in Patagonia layers and Altras trail runners when it did.

Ryan had convinced me to join in on a group camping trip down at Edge of the World/ East Pocket on a Saturday morning.

If you’ve never been to Edge of the World/ East Pocket, I highly recommend it! I went for the first time a few years ago and it’s a beautiful place, even if it does tend to get slightly busy during the summers.

After Ryan got me on board (wasn’t hard), the two of us loaded up his truck, and then drove down Woody Mountain Road to meet up with his crew friend Ivan and his girlfriend Skye early Saturday afternoon.

We arrived and started to look for a camping spot. It was so windy right off the edge of the rim. We’d originally parked our trucks to claim a spot right off the edge of the rim — Skye even put her hammock up — but it was so unbearably windy that we ended up moving back up off the rim a bit in a clearing surrounded by pines.

We set up our tent (it’s always easier to camp with Ochi in a tent vs. the back of Ryan’s F-150), laid in our hammocks, and hung out and talked for a few hours.

Then, when the sun started setting, Ivan asked us if we wanted to venture to the cliffs overlooking Sedona to watch the sunset.

We hiked that way for a bit. Then the rest is history!

We found an overlook at the cliffs, and then Ryan got down on one knee and said some really nice things.

I honestly don’t remember what he said because I blacked out a bit, but I do remember tearing up, VIOLENTLY nodding, and saying “of course” right before hugging Ryan.

Ivan and Skye had been taking some photos (I honestly don’t even think I noticed) in the background during the whole event.

A bit of a funny story. Ryan had planned on proposing and staying to watch the sunset, but Ivan had lost his phone on the way over. After the proposal, the four of us backtracked for a bit to find Ivan’s phone, then went back to the cliff to watch the sunset.

We were treated to one heck of a view!

Photos really don’t do it justice.

I had about a bar of service while standing on the cliff, so I FaceTimed my mom and texted my sister before Ryan and I went back to our campsite to celebrate.

Ivan and Skye hadn’t planned on camping (they were just there to help Ryan set things up and take photos) so we had a campfire with sushi and s’mores before the two of them congratulated us and started the drive back up to Flagstaff.

Ryan and I spent the rest of the night hanging out, then woke up the next morning to pack up our things and head back up to Flagstaff so we could finish calling our families and sharing our news.

A bit more about my ring, if you’re curious.

I was really on the fence about getting one, to be honest.

I’m not the most traditional person, and it seemed really frivolous to spend an excessive amount of money (especially in this economy, when we both work for the federal government, and may or may not be employed for too much longer) on an accessory.

Ryan ended up convincing me to get a ring because he liked the symbolism of it, and he knew that I’d really appreciate having it.

He was right, of course.

The two of us worked together to design my ring earlier this year. We chose Olive Ave down in Mesa, and we worked with Montana, who was fantastic!

I’m a bit indecisive. I knew I liked a few things (clear solitaire diamond, thin band, four-prongs, very simple) but was unsure about a few other things (setting type, stone cut, metal color).

Ryan and I arrived for our appointment at Olive Ave, and Montana had set out a few rings she thought I might like. She took really good notes while I deliberated with Ryan. Ryan chose the band color (rose gold) and diamond cut (brilliant) and then after we left our appointment, Montana presented us with a custom design rendering based on what I’d expressed during our appointment, and then worked with us via email to send us renderings until we found one I really liked.

Montana and Ryan worked together to get our custom design made and ordered, and then Ryan had it sneakily delivered so he could put his surprise together.

I love it. I’ve been wearing it every day for a few weeks now, and I hope it never ceases to make me smile.

And, mostly importantly, I love everything it represents. I love Ryan and the life we’ve been building together, and I’m beyond excited that I get to continue to do that, indefinitely.

I’m truly so lucky.

Now… onto wedding planning!