Propose on a camping trip? A Nebraskan Proposal Story
So, I started this new adventure.
Coming up on my 30th birthday, I couldn’t decided how I was going to spend it. Covid pretty much keeps me home unless I have a photoshoot or I’m picking up groceries. I haven’t been to my favorite bar since March, I haven’t sat in a restaurant for weeks. I’ve been fighting off cabin fever with really loud music and cleaning my home at a frenzied pace.
“We can always go camping again.” Paige said to me one night with a smile. We laughed at the notion. Last year we went camping on my birthday, it was +90º most of the weekend, not having a breeze intensified this. The wind showed up at dinner time, brought on by a cold front, it rained pretty much up to sunset. We ate dinner at a cafe in a nearby town, so stressed from the so far weak start to the vacation, I had a glass of whiskey in the middle of my attempted “Dry In July”.
We tried to sleep in our tent, but the storms came back, the tent stakes couldn’t stay in the sandy soil of western Nebraska and the tent kept collapsing on us from the intense wind. We slept in the car that night.
We went camping anyways.
We decided to go for Niobrara State Park, it was on our list of Nebraska Parks to hit, plus I had some pretty fond memories of it from when I was young. We were able to scoop up a last minute cancelation on Cabin 3, overlooking the Missouri River to the Northeast. It was perfect, quite an upgrade from our tent. Having indoor plumbing and a screened in porch also a huge plus.
So, let me talk about Paige for a little bit. I met this wonderful being in the fall of 2017, since then I have grown so much as a person, this is something that I can only attribute to having her in my life. I have never met anyone quite as funny as Paige, she has an amazing sense of humor. On the other hand, she has this no-nonsense attitude that will challenge my sloth-like approach to issues. I admire and respect her strength, passion for life and ability to stick to her guns to get through something. She makes me want to succeed at life, she gives me hope for a future, she keeps me out of trouble. There’s a lot I can say about this woman, most of all I want to marry this woman, so I asked her.
I knew I wanted to ask her on this trip, I had the ring in my camera bag all weekend sneaking from place to place we went to on our trip. Finally, on the second night in Niobrara State Park we were finishing up dinner, the sun was going down, now’s my chance. I suggested we go to the tallest hill in the park and watch the sun set and have a couple of beers. Now’s my chance.
The view was incredible, every direction you looked there was some beautiful wonder created by nature. We sat in talked about the day we had at the beach and the impending doom that is returning to our normal noisy lives in the city. Each minute passing, the wildflowers in the grass began to glow, the winds were dying down for the day.
By this time, I had the ring box in my pocket. I had slipped it into my pocket, while Paige wasn’t looking. Paige wanted to take my photograph in the evening sun, and told me to go stand in front of my VW. Looking back at this image, you can see the excitement on my face, you can see me trying to disguise the ring box in my pocket. This is one of the most exciting moments of my life and there is a perfectly captured image of it. If you know me, this is rare. Normally, I am the one that captures the memories, there are few great photos of me. Paige showed me the image on my camera and said she wanted to get a better shot, she started back in the other direction, the opportunity presented itself.
When Paige turned around, I has already down on one knee, goofy smile, extending towards her the open ring box. “Hey Paige, wanna marry me?” I yelled out to her.
She almost fell over.
“Yes, yes a million times yes.”
I love Paige so much, to see her this happy made me cry happy tears for the first time in a long time. Paige got me some gifts for my birthday, a grill set and some new Adidas flip-flops, but nothing compared to this moment. Asking my best friend to marry me in the quiet Nebraskan countryside, was more than anything I could have asked for. ❤️
