I met Jen five years ago this month. And this weekend, on top of a tower in the San Rafael Swell, I asked her to marry me. I cannot possibly imagine coming up with something to write that could convey the way I feel about her, but I have to write something, so… Jen and I have climbed, biked, and skied countless days together. We spent so much time road tripping over the last five years that we finally upgraded from sleeping in my truck to buying a van. In case you missed what just happened, let me back up. Jen thinks it’s awesome that we drive around in a sketchy white van with no windows and climb and bike and ski all of the time. How can you not fall in love with a girl like that.
Jen always seems to have a smile on her face. It’s there in nearly every photo. Snow in the goggles, dirt on her face, bloody from crashing, scraped from the wide pitches, tired, hungry, it doesn’t matter. She loves living life. And any stupid adventure that I come up with, that most people would be smart enough to say “hell no” to, she’s game. Jen tries hard in everything she does, and she cheers for me when I’m trying hard. She encourages me when I fail, takes care of me when I hurt myself bad enough to need surgery, makes fun of me for being short, and loves me for me. For those of you who don’t know me, that last one is really impressive.
Nothing in our relationship has been hard. Not asking her out, or moving in together, or buying a van together (ok, so I haven’t actually paid for my half yet, but I have a really good excuse—I spent it on a ring), or 18-hour drives, or epic descents… and certainly not asking her to marry me. It’s the easiest decision I’ve ever made in my life.
