5 years ago today...

... in the middle of a lagoon on the island of Kauai, Rick asked me to be his wife!

We went to Hawaii 5 years ago so Rick could meet my mom and step-dad for the first time. After a week on Oahu visiting them, we made our way to Kauai for a few days of relaxation. We rented a kayak on the second day to take advantage of the beautiful lagoon surrounding the property of the hotel. It was hot, bright, and I remember all of the helicopter tours flying overhead... and of course I remember the proposal! I was shocked in the best way possible and we spent the next 2 1/2 days on the island only telling 2 people we were engaged: Wayne, the kayak rental guy and our waiter at dinner. It was so fun having this "secret" that none of our family and friends knew about- we were engaged for a week before Rick's family even knew because we really wanted to tell them all in person! When we returned to Oahu, we took my mom and Jim out to dinner to share the news with them and then called the rest of my family and told them by phone.

It's been an adventurous 5 years... we bought our first home, got married, and added 3 amazing children to the mix. I'm a lucky lady!

We took this self-portrait right after getting engaged!
Later that night, at dinner.
And just before leaving the island, we went back to scene of the crime and asked Wayne to take our picture!

I was looking for a particular photo to post, but couldn't find it. It's a beautiful photo of the lagoon, right about the spot we were floating when Rick proposed. For a wedding gift, he had it enlarged and framed. It hung in our dining room/office for about 4 1/2 years, until the new playroom furniture won the wall space instead. It is currently sitting under our bed, waiting for another perfect spot to hang as a memory in our home.