Perfect in Everyway

So I just returned from many days traveling, I have been to several cities and I have so many stories, including two other love stories, Corey & Angie and Jason & Sara, I was in Denver photographing their engagement sessions. I promise you guys to get these photos up shortly, hopefully by Wednesday after I get settled back in after traveling since the 14th. But first I must write about this last trip while it is fresh in my mind… I am so excited I can hardly contain myself!

Wow where even to begin…

Okay some background…My boyfriend, Jon Harle, and I have been dating for three and a half years. We met when I transferred to the downtown Chicago Cheesecake Factory in September of 2004. I was planning to move to the city a month later, I was attending Columbia College downtown, and tired of commuting an hour from the suburbs. Jon had just moved from Iowa that May after graduating from Loras College. I met him just briefly my first day at the restaurant, I kept confusing him with this other guy who I switched shifts with. The next day I got on the Red Line EL and he happened to be on the same train and in the same car, what are the odds? So we talked the whole way to work and then all night at work. He asked me out for a drink after work. I remember just being amazed with him. And we have been nearly inseparable since.

So here’s the rest of our love story.

Jon and I love to travel. And I hate winter in Chicago. So Jon planned a surprise vacation for me. I knew that we were going somewhere since I had to clear my calendar, but I had no idea where. Well Jon kept it a surprise for over a month. It was agonizing, I really wanted to know where we were going, I didn’t think it was going to be so hard not knowing. I bugged him all the time to tell me, I guessed and sometimes he gave clues. The week before I had it narrowed down to places Jet Blue airline flew to and places that the temperature was currently 60-70 degrees, oh also inside the continetal US. So you could draw a line across the southern part of the US. Jon tried to trick me and tell me it wasn’t the West coast. While I was in Denver he spilled the beans to my family about the location, I found this out the night before when we dropped off our dog. I couldn’t believe they knew and not me, so later that night he told me that the state was in fact California, I was so excited for I love California and we hope to make it our home some day!

On the morning of March 18th we woke up before dawn and rushed out of the house, I hadn’t had much sleep and wasn’t feeling too well. I complained of the icky feeling and Jon said, “Would it make you feel better if we were going to Disneyland?!!” I said “Really, Really…? YES!!” And from then on I always had a smile on my face! I couldn’t believe it!! Disney was our first vacation together, in Orlando over three years ago. Jon has said before it was there he fell in love, after spending so much time together. We said our first “I love you”s shortly after that trip.

We flew in Long Beach, the smallest cutest airport. Here’s a photo of it. Over the course of the trip I came up with a new word, oldtimey. And I found lots of uses: oldtimey airport, oldtimey beetle cars or slug bugs, and my favorite oldtimey photo booths!

When we arrived we went to Burbank to attend a taping of “The Price is Right” which we both loved as kids. We were not contestants, but we were VIP and got right behind contestant row. The experience was amazing, it was so much fun!! The show airs April 14th on CBS be sure to look for us, I am sure you will see us. It was an exciting show too! And there was a lady on the show from Algonquin, IL (the neighboring town where I grew up). No photos were allowed inside the television studio so here we are outside wearing our name tags.

Our second day we went to Disneyland, all day, literally open to close. We went to both Disneyland and California Adventure. It was just as magical and enchanting (as I called the castle the first time) on our first trip. We loved Soaring over California ride along with the Pier area with California Screaming and the romantic ferris wheel in California Adventure. Jon loves how worked up I get before every rollercoaster, I freak out a little I am just so scared, but then afterward I love it and want to go again!

Highlights of Disneyland were Space Mountain, Indiana Jones and the magic of being at the place where it all started. My favorite moment of the day was the fireworks display! We found a great place on Main Street with the castle centered and in a great line of sight and not too crowded. I can’t even describe the firework display it was like nothing I’d ever seen before. Jon’s arms were around me as we stood and watched. I was so happy I was moved nearly to tears. I didn’t take any photos, I just enjoyed the fireworks and was so wrapped up in the moment. The fireworks started with “When You Wish Upon a Star,” and I couldn’t have even dreamed the rest of the perfect vacation.

On Thursday we drove from Anaheim to San Diego. I was so excited, I had been there once in 2002 and I loved it. I often told Jon that I wanted to go back with him because he would love it. We walked around Balboa Park a little it was beautiful enjoying it with Jon by my side. Then we headed to Coronado Island we walked around the Hotel Coronado and the beach. It was great learning about the 120 year history. Then we headed to the Brigantine Grill a delicious seafood place for dinner. After dark we left the island and we stopped in La Jolla to check out the shopping and art galleries. We didn’t make it too far we went to two galleries, the Fingerhut Gallery, which had Dr. Seuss prints. Jon loves Dr. Seuss and I promise him someday we will own a print! Then we went to the Peter Lik gallery. He is an amazing landscape and nature photographer he shoots mostly large and medium transparencies. The colors, the prints and the compositions are amazing! We had seen a couple of his galleries in Hawaii. One of my favorites is “Blush,” and the friendly salesperson Mathew showed us that print and I really think Jon was considering going home with it! But lucky he thought about it, since I didn’t yet know what I would be taking home with me! After that we were done “shopping” for the night!

Friday, March 21, our last full day of vacation started as the others but would later come to be a day I will never forget. We ate an early lunch at a little place back in La Jolla, we stayed in Del Mar, kind of close to Torrey Pines Golf Course, so La Jolla was very close to us. We had no real plans for the day, as was the case the day before, we did know we were going to watch the sunset on Mission Beach. We were going to find the Caves in La Jolla but after a little while we decided to continue on our day to make it to the beach on time. I found in a guidebook an Aircraft Carrier tour. Jon loves them so I suggested we go there, I knew it would mean a lot to him. It was neat to see all the details including the captian’s quarters, engine room and the flight deck which was filled with different kinds of jets. I took many photos, almost too many of Jon touring the carrier.
I probably have photos of him in every little area and with most of the planes. But here is a simple photo of him in front of his favorite plane there a F/A-18 Hornet, a Strike Fighter.

And here is a photo of me goofing around by the plane, taken by Jon.

Afterward we headed to the Mission Beach to find a place for dinner. After driving up the main strip we picked a busy bar and grill. Since it was busy we thought it was good, it was but it was busy due to NCAA tournament. We each had delicious cheeseburgers, I had a root beer float too, I felt like a kid again. Jon got to watch some basketball.

About an hour before the sunset we walked along the beach. I had told Jon about the beach and how much it meant to me when I was there in 2002 by myself. I was there for a photography convention, and besides the convention and the amazing people I met, my favorite memory was walking along Mission Beach. I was so happy and at peace and that feeling was never so strong as then. When I told him the story he said let’s go there our second day in San Diego for sunset. He knows how I love sunsets (and sunrises) and the colors and feelings they create. I love to photograph them.

So we walked for a few minutes, I talked about how many different beaches we walked on over the last few years, San Francisco, Tampa, Coco Beach, and countless beaches on Maui and Oahu, and then now San Diego. The sun was shining brightly in the perfectly blue sky. Jon asked me if I wanted to sit in the sand. I was a little surprised I had black pants on, rolled up, and he had jeans on. I walked barefoot and he had his shoes on. He looked really nice in a button down shirt. So we sat down in each others arms, just enjoying the moment. I laid my head in his lap and looked up at him against the blue sky, his blue eyes were so beautiful.

Throughout the vacation I had said several times how it was the perfect surprise and the perfect vacation. I was so happy I couldn’t use any word to describe it but perfect. I mentioned the perfect blue sky and how beautiful it was. Then Jon said “Do you know what would make this the perfect vacation?” I just said a puzzled, “What?” even though I knew what would, I just didn’t want to say because I didn’t think that’s what he was going to say, but he did! He said “If I asked you one question…Will you marry me?” I was speechless. He showed me the ring that sparkled in the sunshine and then placed it on my finger, as he said, “this is for you”. I just keep questioning “Really? Really?” I couldn’t believe it was really happening!! I didn’t even say an answer to the question I was so excited to hear! So he asked again and I officially said yes!

Here we are moments after the big moment taken by Jon in the exact place he proposed. He is getting good at the together self portraits!

Afterward we walked more along the beach and then watched the sun set together. Here’s the sunset we watched just a while later further down the boardwalk. A funny side story, Jon and I drove down to the beach the night before, just so I made sure I remembered the beach it was. It was dark and late, we took one of the side streets that dead end at the beach, but it didn’t look like it was a dead end really, it looks like it was a little road or alley way like a T intersection. Since it was dark we couldn’t see the ocean for sure, so Jon turned down the street, it looked quiet and odd, but there was plenty of space for two cars and a yellow line dividing the lanes. But we quickly realized this was the boardwalk! And we were driving on it! How was that even possible. I was freaking out yelling at Jon to get off of it and how or why did he get on it. Somehow we got on at one of the few points where you could. Bikers and pedestrians are raising their arms at us and some yell. About a half a mile down we found a spot we could squeeze out. And once we were off of it we just started laughing. I was sorry for yelling, and found it funny. We chuckled on Friday as we walked along the same boardwalk we drove on the night before.

Here is another photo of us taken at sunset by a nice stranger. I am not sure it still sunk in. But I was so happy!

There was a little carnival by the sea, Belmont Park, so we played mini golf and skee ball. We were like little kids. And we took photos in a photo booth, something I have wanted to do with him for years. Here’s the photo strip. I think the flash was a little strong and made for really hot highlights, but I still love it!

The surprise trip and the surprise engagement were perfect in every way.

I know you all want to see photos of the ring, like my aunts! So I will post some soon. Me and the ring have scheduled a studio session 🙂

Jon and I have decided on 11-11-11 and a destination wedding, we hope to have it in Hawaii but we are still looking into all our options, Southern California may be possible too. 11 has always been special to both of us. His birthday is 11-22-81 and mine is 01-22-81. And we both wore 11 playing soccer when we were younger. We know its a long engagement but we want to enjoy it and not be rushed to plan a wedding. Plus we hope that by giving time we can all save and our close friends and family can attend and make it an event to remember!