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Michael and I met in December 2002 and a whirlwind romance took off immediately. In March of 2003, our love for traveling took us on our first trip together...

Our love for traveling took us on our first trip together to the island of Kauai in the Hawaiian Islands. I was swept off my feet by the momentum of the romance. We had met just three months earlier and we were already experiencing a trip together that some couples wait a lifetime for.

Each day we found a new adventure; a boat ride along the Na Pali coast, snorkeling, hiking, and exploring. Our enthusiasm for the island of Kauai seemed to parallel our feelings for each other. At the end of the day, we would usually go to the little tiki hut bar and a drink a "nutty colada" while listening to Hawaiian music.

One night, after our visit to the tiki hut bar, we went for a stroll along the beach and found a hammock. We sat in the hammock and enjoyed the peaceful moment. The breeze swayed through the palm trees above us and through the fronds we could see the stars, and all the while the ocean rolled in before us. Michael and I both agreed that the moment was the most romantic moment of our lives.

A few years and a few more romantic excursions went by, but that moment always came up whenever we would reminisce about our first major trip together. In June of 2005, we decided to visit Kauai again. We had to make a trip to our favorite little spot to see how the tiki hut bar was doing and to see if our hammock was still there. Unfortunately, both were gone due to renovations. However, we still had our own recollections to keep forever.

One night after dinner at Tidepools restaurant at the Grand Hyatt on the other side of the island, Michael and I took a walk. The setting was magnificent. Surrounding the pool in front of the ocean were waterfalls, tiki torches, and beautiful exotic plants. Distant guitar music emanated from somewhere inside the resort. We even passed a small wedding reception on our walk around the resort grounds. As chance would have it, we found a hammock. We quickly slipped off our shoes and snuggled in next to each other on the hammock. We were both silent for some time before Michael reached into his pocket, pulled out a ring, and said, "Look what I found."

I was so shocked all I could say was, "Where did you get that?" I said it over and over until Michael finally asked me if I would marry him. I was stunned, still overwhelmed from the romance and the picturesque surroundings but I exclaimed a joyous "yes" to my new fiancé. We will be getting married on April 28th, 2007 in Asheville, North Carolina. Our lifelong dream is to some day travel the entire world together. After all, good things sure do come from us going on trips together!