(The loss of our) Independence Rock

So, our next stop was Independence Rock. I got my tennis shoes out of the car, as Billy warned that my flip flops wouldn't be sufficient hiking gear. In the meantime, Billy got his camera out of his backpack and we headed out toward the trail leading up to the rock.

I was fooling with the video camera, attempting to take a video of the rock as we were walking up to it. At the same time as I flipped open the camera, Billy put his arm around me. He told me that he loves me and is so glad that I could come on the trip. W

e walked a few more steps and he sort of stopped and said "hey, I have a question to ask you." I figured he was going to ask me if it was possible that I could walk any slower. So I turned in anticipation of giving him the "Jenny eye-roll", but he had stopped...and he dropped down on his knee...I saw a gray box in his hand.... At that moment in time, I was unable to comprehend what was happening. I saw his mouth moving, and the words "marry me" come out...but I just couldn't put it all together. It's sort of a blur to me, as all I remember is looking from his face to the ring and back again. I took a few steps back away from him, put my hands up to my face and then tears just exploded out of my eyes. I fell down on my knees and put my head down in my hands. Now, anyone in the parking lot or up on the rock that may have seen the two of us there, kneeling on the ground in front of each other would have thought one of us had had a coronary embolism or deep vein thrombosis (thank you, Billy).

"So, is that a 'yes'?" Billy asked. And, a yes, it was.