Adventure Together

We met while working at Northwestern Mutual in 2018. Our friendship began when I awkwardly invited a coworker to go camping in NC with 6 days notice. She said she would think about it and when I turned around Austin was sitting there listening so I said, "...And you are also invited!" so as to not be rude to the new guy. I never thought he would say yes to driving 10 hours with 4 other near strangers so when he came I was shocked to say the least. It was mid-November and less than 40 degree in the Smokey Mountains. Austin packed a pair of jeans, light colored sneakers, and an old sleeping bag for 4 days hiking in the woods. When we arrived it was pouring rain & we set up camp. After the guys tent broke during the first night, he was left with a drenched ice-cold pillow and jeans to keep him warm. Even still, he never complained about his discomfort. I was impressed with Austin's go-with-the-flow-attitude and his willingness to take the middle seat in the car to keep other people happy & comfortable. At that point I had ZERO idea that he was interested in me, I thought he was just a guy I had randomly invited to go camping. The friendship grew over the next 9 months & eventually we fell in love. He later told me that he only went camping to spend time with me & he doesn't actually like tent camping.

Originally, I had found a gorgeous overlook in Chattanooga that we would stop at before dinner, walk to, and then I would pop the question. We drove past the spot, but the rain deterred us. Still determined to propose on that night, I figured it would have to wait until a little later. After a great dinner, I asked Trina if she wanted to go on a walk on the Chattanooga Pedestrian Bridge. She hesitated initially, not because she didn't want to go on a walk, but because it was 40 degrees, windy, and raining. Reluctantly, she agreed and we set on our journey without our phones into the rain. We walked the length of the bridge talking about each other and our future. On our way back over the bridge, right at the dead center, I got down on one knee and asked Trina to marry me. Startled at first, she laughed, thinking I was joking. She was shocked when I pulled out the ring, she froze and luckily said yes. We stood in the rain, holding each other. This was a fantastic day in our relationship, one that I had looked forward to since the day I met her.