Brown Bridge Quiet Area Engagement | Kayla + Lance

“Within the first week of meeting one another I knew we had something rare when I didn’t want our conversations to end. It was on a Sunday morning hike when we both looked at each other in the morning light, and I knew he was going to forever change my world. It wasn’t necessarily our particular conversation, or the way he looked at me, it was a feeling inside that grew deep with love and peace. I was confident my prayers had been answered, and I found the one I was going to walk through life with side by side.”

“On April 5th, 2020, Kayla and I went on our second hike together at Sand Lakes Quiet Area. That combined with the previous day’s hike and the rest of the week really cemented my feelings for her. That night after the hike we made dinner at her place, and in the kitchen I stated that I was going to marry her, she responded back ‘I know you are’ with a smile. It wasn’t until the next day on another walk around Holiday Hills that I told her that I loved her.”

Kayla + Lance certainly have something special. And it all started on the dating app, Bumble. “After messaging for several days, we decided to meet each other in person; however, where do you meet each other during a pandemic safely? Well, we only lived a mile from one another so we decided to meet roughly in between each other’s houses for an evening stroll. Since Kayla wasn’t going to give up her exact location, it made finding a spot to meetup challenging. So she ended up picking a house with ‘ alls’ in the front yard. ‘Oh I think that I know where that is’ thinking that she was talking about some shiny landscape globes, I went out for some quick recon. Well, sure enough I found a house with a globe and another house a few doors down. So I dropped a pin from my phone and sent her where I thought it was. ‘Nope.’ Finally, she sent me a picture of the house. Yep, I wasn’t even close, but I did know where the house was. For COVID, the neighbors put a sign out in front of their house, ‘Can you spot all five balls?’ They had placed random rubber balls in their bushes for kids to count. Kayla showed up early and ended up taking another walk around the block. I showed up with seconds to spare. Well, I hope she wasn’t to frighten about meeting some guy for a walk, because the first thing I did was direct us into the woods, The Holiday Hills Preserve. We ended up hiking four miles that night. Not a bad first date.”

“Our first hike outside of Holiday Hills area was at Brown’s Bridge on April 4th. It was a cold and misty day, but near the end we passed a viewing platform and took our first selfie together. It was the first of many selfies during the initial stages of COVID. I could have picked anywhere to ask her to marry me, but it all began there. On a Sunday morning we laced up our shoes, and Kayla let me pick the hiking spot. I packed a small backpack with snacks and water and slid the ring in the small pouch near the bottom of the pack. Throughout the hike we reminisced about our first six months together. With about 5 miles in, we only had about a half a mile to the viewing platform above the nature overlook. Knowing that hands typically swell during a hike, I raised mine and shook them hoping for Kayla to do the same thing. All I needed was her fingers to be swollen, making for a tight fit for the ring. We ended up getting to the platform and savored the moment looking out at the view. I went down to my bag to grab my phone, and we took some selfies once again. When returning my phone to the bag, I went for the small pocket and remained kneeling for the question.”

“As I looked down at him, all his words suddenly became a blur, I muttered back ‘Is this real, is this happening now?’ in between the sun in my eyes, and the tears clouding my view I leaned down and ‘Yes!’ Lance stood up and we both realized this hike was certainly one for the books.”

I love your love story, Kayla + Lance. Congrats!