Jhos & Nico

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Once I started thinking about dating with marriage in mind, I always wondered how I would know when I found the right woman. What would be the feeling, or the signal, or would she just meet certain criteria? That’s a pretty complicated feeling for a young man to sort out. In the end, there were some really specific and new feelings that tipped me off that I wanted to be with Jhosmar for the rest of my life. First there are the little things – we agree and think similarly about a lot of subjects, and perhaps more importantly when we disagree, it’s okay with both of us. We have fun together, loads of fun, whether it is eating tapas at a nice restaurant or climbing a mountain in the remote backcountry. And did I mention she laughs at my jokes? Then there are the bigger, deeper concepts which really solidified our relationship in my mind. Jhos has such a positive energy and such a selfless soul that I found that I was a better person when I was around her. I could see myself going through life with her by my side. It just clicked – instead of picturing myself traveling the world alone, I now could see myself with her by my side, whether it be in some tropical jungle or high up in the mountains – she would be there. I knew she would be someone that would stick with me even when times got tough, someone who takes care of me and really wants to make me happy, and definitely someone that would raise our children with great values and to be great people. On top of all that, I felt I could do the same for her. And so it became absolutely clear – she was the woman for me. And once it is that clear, there is no time to waste!

When I decided to propose to Jhos I wanted to have two things. I wanted to have a ring that would knock her off her feet, and the actual proposal needed to be done with flair – something she would look back on and say “it was perfect.” Once we got talking about her moving out here I started trying to get a feel for what Jhos would like in an engagement ring. We spent one day going around to different jewelry stores so I could just get a rough idea of the features she would like. After that, Jhos knew nothing about the ring – the design, the timeline, the diamond, nothing. I spent an enormous amount of time learning about diamonds – that is my detail-oriented nature. I put a lot of thought into designing a custom ring for her that would have the details and character to be timeless and one-of-a-kind.

Even once I had the perfect engagement ring, I still needed the perfect proposal. The proposal needed to be extra special because she sort of knew it was coming, since we’d looked at rings and she was moving to Utah. The proposal needed to be at a time and place that would be completely unlikely, where she would have her guard down. That definitely ruled out nice restaurants. I started thinking about the trip we were planning on taking in early May to Oregon and Washington state. There would be gorgeous scenes that would be so epic and unforgettable – I knew I could find a way to do it on that trip. I researched some of the best locations and settled on Wahclella  Falls in the Colombia River Gorge of Oregon. A short one mile hike into a lush landscape dripping with life and an enormous, powerful waterfall at the end. I researched photographers in the northwest area and chose the absolute best one – I’m not one to skimp on photos of a lifetime.

Jhos and I flew out to Portland on May 5th and drove around the Columbia River Gorge for some short hikes to waterfalls that afternoon. While we had planned on camping most of that trip, I wanted to keep things simple and make sure we were well rested for the big day, so we got a hotel room for the night – a cheap hotel room. A cheap hotel room with no hair dryer?! I had no idea these existed! When we go backpacking, Jhos does fine without doing hair and makeup, but given the available facilities she will usually at least do something in the morning. That morning I was a bit concerned because with no hair dryer, it would throw a kink in her normal plans for getting ready. I was surprised when she said it was no big deal – after all we were just going hiking all day. I was worried because we were going to take some photos and when people are photographed it really helps so much that they feel beautiful.

Well on the morning of May 6th it didn’t matter that she didn’t have her hair done. It didn’t matter that she was in her hiking clothes. We pulled into the trailhead parking lot around 7 AM and I noticed one other car and a man – my hired photographer – got out and quickly headed up the path. I made sure we took our time putting together some snacks and our day pack. As we went down the trail we were all smiles – she was happy and in a new and beautiful place, and I was so pumped because I felt everything would go just as planned. When we got to the end of the trail I saw this logjam. My photographer, Phil, had sent me some photos of the area that he scouted out for me, and I knew that logjam was the most photogenic spot. The problem with the logjam is that it is…a log jam. A giant pile of logs floating on water. Luckily Jhos trusts me, and when I said I thought we should go walk out onto the log jam she didn’t even hesitate. Once we were on there, I could see Phil out of the corner of my eye hiding behind a bridge in the distance. Everything was set. I got down on one knee and nearly fell off the logs, and then I told Jhos I wanted her to be with me for the rest of my life.