After going to Yosemite for Papa Dash's birthday, we spent my birthday weekend in July going camping at Mount Diablo. We booked a camp site at the highest camp grounds on the mountain, and although the sites were first come first served I think we found the prime spot. It was on the corner on the edge of a cliff with a perfect view of the sunset.
Of course, Dash wasted no time getting REALLY dirty. Papa Dash and I were so busy taking photos of the gorgeous views that we didn't notice the vast field of weeds Dash was rolling around in. I personally know I was focused on learning to use my new birthday present, a cute red point-and-shoot. (Papa Dash wanted to get me some big, fancy digital SLR but I declined and asked for something more convenient.)
Once we looked down at our mini Aussie puppy and let the image process it was waaay too late. Dash was completely covered in burrs from head to toe!! Our vet had warned us earlier about some weed called a fox tail (that we never had in Hawaii). She said it could work its way through Dash's fur and eventually get lodged in his skin, requiring surgery to remove. We sort of knew what it looked like from her sample, and this field was suddenly looking a lot like fox tails!!
I FREAKED out. We immediately dropped what we were doing and brought Dash back to the picnic table at our camp site. I spent the next two hours (no joke) picking burrs out of Dash's fur. I did NOT want our puppy to have surgery. Surprisingly, even though I thought I did a pretty thorough job, we continued to find burrs in Dash's fur throughout the night.
Anyway, back to enjoying the view... It is sort of a tradition for Papa Dash and I to watch the sunset when "on vacation" and this night was no different... or so I thought. As we sat there under the orange red sky, Papa Dash told me he hoped I was having a great birthday and asked me to close my eyes because he had one more birthday gift for me. Keep in mind, he had already given me a digital camera for my birthday, so when I closed my eyes I fully expected to open them to a matching camera case. I opened my eyes... and HOLY COW there's my perfect engagement ring staring me in the face!
Papa Dash kept it simple with "Will you marry me?" and I gave a quick yes then a big, long hug. The scene was perfectly suited to our lifestyle, the timing was perfect, and even the ring was exactly what I always wanted! :)
We spent our first morning as an engaged couple taking in the views with Dash at the lookout point at the peak of Mount Diablo. The camping, the proposal, the views, everything. The whole weekend was just breathtaking. I will never forget this!!
