Writing our story together since the good year two thousand and six.

The Beginning

People often want to know how it was that the couple better known as “Garret and Mystie” first met. Given our rather exciting and adventurous lives, some folks wait with bated breath as the happy couple catches one another's eyes, expecting an engaging tale of some sort. Our eyebrows raised, we give a sheepish smile and simply say, “we met at a party.”

It's kind of one of our inside jokes, really, though it is based completely on the simple truth that we met at our good friend's birthday. On the surface, it sounds like standard fare for young twenty-somethings. A bit of beer, a bit of music, a little conversation. Boy meets girl. Girl meets boy. They both think the other is swell enough, and next thing they know they are dating.

But oh, what a disservice to the pyrotechnics that lit up the room that night. Garret arrived after a long week at work, dry sockets from some pulled wisdom teeth forcing him to make a quick snack in his friend Jaime's house. Mystie just having gotten back to the house after a nice dinner our with Jaime, watching this (incredibly handsome, of course) man run around making … mashed potatoes? … in this little apartment. Jaime pulling Garret out of his potato frenzy to meet this (stunningly beautiful, naturally) woman that she had been trying to introduce him to for weeks. Eyes widen, sparks fly, and things take off.

The plan to stay but briefly becomes a plan to enjoy a beer. Of course, with one beer in the system, a person shouldn't drive, so why not play some music and make some more drinks and talk for a bit. A bit turns into a late night, with two shy hands lying near one another under a coffee table. Fingers touching but lightly. Incredibly surprised because neither of us planned on this, or were even sure we wanted it at this point. But, there it was.

Fast forward through first dates (though that was really the start of it, right in that little basement apartment unit), roller blades, Renaissance fairs, camping trips, and all sorts of fun adventures. Maybe throw in a few break ups, a few get-back-togethers, living together, living apart, a trip to Japan, a trip to Hawaii. There we are, enjoying shared living spaces, still talking about marriage after all of these years. Garret with a Plan, Mystie getting Frustrated that the Plan has not been executed yet.

The Proposal

We have a favorite camping place that is up in the mountains of Hatcher Pass in Alaska. On a late day in May, the two of us decided to go for an early-season trip this wonderful little bit of the world known as Reed Lakes. Mystie had been talking about going somewhere else, but Garret kept vetoing them for some reason (too rainy, too far away, too boring, too anything at all to make sure we would wind up picking our spot). The sun was shining, summer was straining at the leash, and we were eager to get outside a bit.

As we made our way up the trail, a pile of people were coming back. Each one saying that there was too much snow ahead, and that we couldn't make it to the lakes. Undaunted, we pushed on. Pretty soon, it became clear that nobody else had made it to where we were. On we pushed, to the lower lake. No one was around, we set up our tent in the alpine tundra, snow off to the sides but nothing beneath us. After a quick set up, Garret recommended that we head up to the waterfalls that we could see from our site.

The water was low, so we could easily the water above the falls, settling in to watch the sun from a large, flat rock. Garret took out the stove and ramen, and told Mystie that she should sing while he prepared dinner. She obliged, and they sat in silence for a few minutes. Mystie turned to Garret and asked him to sing something. He had done a pretty good job avoiding singing in the past, so there was no expectation that he actually do it.

Much to Mystie's surprise, Garret started belting out “A Whole New World” … yes, the song from Aladdin. For those of you who do not know, the whole world of Disney princesses is a bit of a thing for Mystie. A thing that Garret does not fully appreciate. So, to have him sing that song in particular was a shock. We settled back into silence for a minute.

Taking the ramen off the stove, Garret recommended that perhaps we both floss our teeth before dinner. Given how odd Garret could be, this wasn't the strangest thing she'd been asked to do. Slightly confused at this change in dental hygienic habits, Mystie agreed. Garret rummaged through his back to pull out a little travel floss kit, struggling to open it a little more than a person normally should.

Having managed to get the floss case opened in two, Garret turns to Mystie to reveal a loose, shining (Canadian) diamond and a wooden engagement ring. A question gets asked. A very enthusiastic yes is received. A frantic attempt to keep the enthusiasm from knocking the loose diamond out of the container, down the rock, and over the falls. Maybe a few tears, a bottle of wine, and some of the most delicious ramen ever consumed.

The Wedding

Yeah. It happened, and it was generally agreed upon as the most fantastic wedding ever. Even people who hate weddings walked away saying that it was perfect.

The Future

We will write about this … in the future!