Thursday, December 29, 2011

festive light fun

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So these are from a while ago, but I hadn't started a blog yet, nor have I shared this special memory on this here blog, and what with all the reminiscing in lieu of new year's coming up and the glow of the holidays, it seemed like a good time. plus they're just fun pictures. So. the story. This photos were taken the night Ryan asked me to marry him. I can't really say that I knew it was coming, and especially in the way that it happened- it was later in the night and just the two of us, so I don't have any pictures, but here we are earlier in the evening, enjoying the Christmas Lights at the Mesa temple with my friend Lizzie.

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We were down in Arizona visiting Ryan's parents, and since I went to high school around those parts I thought it would be fun for Lizzie and Ryan to meet. We had fun being wowed by all the christmas lights, and taking some longer exposure photos, and by then it was getting pretty late and Lizzie bid us goodbye. As we were heading home, Ryan asked if there was anything we still needed/ wanted to do while we were still out, and after a little while he suggested we check out an old building site we had discovered about a year ago when things first started getting romantic between us.


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Up at the very top of a...ahem, forgive me- mountain? hill? mesa? whatever those things are in Arizona that are higher up than everything else but still aren't really THAT big in the grand scheme of things? anyway, up at the top of one of those was a very wealthy housing development, and at the highest point was a a huge halfway built villa/ mansion/ thing. A chain link fence surrounded the house, which had all the walls and roof up, but no doors or windows or real floors installed. Construction had been abandoned, and it had just been sitting there for quite a while. It felt like exploring a movie set, or some Roman ruins or something....the halls and rooms were surprisingly cavernous, and some unfinished parts felt like courtyards. The back opened up to a backyard with the skeletons of a pool, a swimming bar, and gazebo, with a spectacular view of the whole valley.

We explored and revisited different parts of the house and yard, and as we were heading back, Ryan took me by the waist and started dancing with me in the middle of the huge open hall. He twirled me around, pulled me close and told me that he loved me and asked me to marry him. He didn't have a ring or anything yet and said he wanted to talk to my dad properly first and then get one, so the next couple weeks I was kind of going crazy not being able to announce anything, but that night will always be a really special memory to me.

17 comments:

  1. When I just saw that first one I thought wait, that looks just like the Mesa temple! I just posted about here too, although no awesome light effect pictures & no adorable story either.. you win! haha but seriously, that sounds soo romantic with the view of the valley like that! And I had no idea you two had ties to central AZ (where I'm from & living again), how fun to realize!

    http://dusanabotswana.com/

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  2. Awww your story of how you got engaged is so sweet. I always love hearing those sorts of stories. Yours sounds perfect. Such fun pictures from earlier on in the night too!

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  3. these photos are SO FUN! looks like you all had a blast!

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  4. What a really cool engagement story! I just got engaged last month and I just gush over those! How cute is that??? Plus, the pictures are so fun! Thank you for sharing them with us!

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  5. You got such great shots! Sounds like an awesome time :)

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  6. Aw, how sweet!

    I'm a new reader, and I'm really loving your blog!

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  7. How wonderful!!! What an amazing memory! And kind of unrelated but your story about the abandoned house reminds me of Arrested Development. They made those types of homes out in the desert in California :)

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  8. what a beautiful night, and how special that you have all those photos from the night you got engaged! you'll be able to look back at these and know that that was the night your life changed, and you didn't even know it was about to happen!
    -sarah

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  9. Oh my gosh, your engagement story is SO SWEET! I definitely "awwed" out loud. These photos are so special. Ooh and also, have a Happy New Year!! <3

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  10. This is such a special memory. And it is amazing that you have pictures to remember the evening! Happy New Year! I hope you have a fun evening!

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  11. These photos are so fun! And the story is just adorable....

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  13. These pics are so much fun to look at! The play with light and how colorful everything is makes me smile! Happy new year for you! And super congrats to both of you too!

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  14. classic beauty x your blog is such a treat

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    http://artichoke--heart.blogspot.com/

    if you like, follow! and i shall do the same
    x

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