Monet and Carson are engaged!
So happy for these two! They are so cute together. It is a good feeling to see Monet so confident and happy. A few weeks ago we were talking about wedding details and she said there were a few things she wasn't sure about, but she was 100% so happy and sure about Carson. That's the only thing that matters really. And such a good feeling to have that.
Carson planned the cutest proposal. Last summer they went to a wedding and they were just talking and he said something about proposals. Some people now hire photographers and have the whole family there etc. Which is fun in its own way but he just asked what Monet thinks about it all. And she said she thought the classic kind with just the couple sounded good. And she wasn't thinking of that being them but maybe he was who knows!
And anyway, fast forward seven months and she got what she said she wanted! He and his friend put a tire swing in a remote location up the canyon. It was actually a lot of work to hike in with this big tire and ropes, chains, etc. But they got it all installed and sometime during the pandemic when Carson was on his "intermission" when all the missionaries came home and waited for reassignments he took Monet there. They were just friends at the time.
When they started dating again at the end of last summer he took her there again and that was where they maybe made it official, meaning they weren't dating anyone else.
So this week they finally finished 75 hard (Which is really a pain during a snowy wet winter like we have had) and the next day he mentioned that they should go snowshoeing before it warms up and the snow melts (ha we will probably have snow til July this year).
Anyway, she knew the ring was getting made and she thought it would be awhile til he proposed. Cause he tricked her into thinking it was still a week or two out. Monet is pretty clever so he really had to do a solid job of that!
He told her they were going to dinner after so she should wear something nice, but she was like, nah, its just snowshoeing so I'm going to wear a sweatshirt. Haha.
She said it was a pretty remote location and a little tough to get to. But once they got close to the swing she saw something colored in the snow and thought it was trash (Monet has really bad vision). And as she got closer she saw this cute scene with flowers in the snow, a little loveseat carved out of the snow, lights, a cutting board with a little cache of food and treats underneath and pictures of the two of them.
And when he started asking her to marry him he couldn't speak properly. So she kissed him and then he could talk again.
And finally he pulled out the ring and she didn't even say "yes," she just grabbed the ring out of his hand and put it on her finger. This is actually so funny to me. I can picture this so perfectly. Monet is obsessed with her beautiful ring! They had it custom made and it is perfect for her. She didn't want something that would have pointy prongs because she will be wearing gloves for a good part of life. And so she wanted a low profile style. It is very unique and beautiful! Finally she remembered to say yes!
They talked for a long time and finally realized they had to hurry back to make it to dinner.
Carson's dad and friends had gone up earlier while he was at work to set up the whole thing and it was sweet to see the effort that they put into making it just perfect for them. They even carved steps out of the snow.
These two had a lot of things to think about with wedding dates! Elise's due date in the middle of the summer, plus Miles and Carson's brother both putting in their mission papers for mid August. So she decided they would bump up their date to June. But then Jared and I are on the Trek Activities in June, and we have a family reunion/trip to Pagosa that's been on the books for awhile, so she was extra limited. Good thing we finally all settled on June 30th! Very excited for them.
These two dated in High School when Monet was 16. Carson was a Junior when Monet was a sophomore and Elise a senior. Elise had gone on a canyoneering trip with him since he was friends with some of her friends. She thought he was funny and cool and told Monet she should date him. And she told Carson to date Monet, and he told Elise that he was "working on it". I remember these conversations so that is funny. A couple months later Carson asked Monet to prom. Carson was always so nice and such a gentleman. They hiked Timp once but it was snowy so they went back a few weeks later and did it again. Later that fall they started dating and she took him to Sadie's.
She wasn't super serious about relationships back then and it was high school, and they broke up after 5 months. But she always admired him and just thought he was so nice. I was also impressed with him and one time after he dropped her off I said, "Monet, that's the kind of boy you marry." I did not think they would end up together because high school relationships don't have great odds, I just liked how well he treated her. He was also a lot of fun and I liked all the fun active things they would do together.
Here are some fun throwbacks just because!
Last summer she ran the AF Canyon Half and he ran it as well with some of their mutual friends. Me, Elise and Monet were standing around at the finish and I saw a cute guy walking up. He didn't have his shirt on and had a bandana around his forehead. I didn't recognize him at all, until Monet said, "Carson? Did you grow?" Elise and I were making eye contact and laughing at how dumbfounded Monet looked. He invited her to come to his house for pancakes with a big group of their friends who also ran. And it was pretty funny cause she wasn't going to go and we were like yeah Monet, you need to go. Haha.
Anyway, after that we went to Italy. And Carson told Monet to call him when she got back. Apparently he didn't think she would. But she did! And it was pretty funny to see how quickly she was into him after that.
She had been somewhat hesitant to want to date seriously for awhile. She was looking forward to her friends coming home from their missions and just having fun. But even though she was trying to be all chill about it, it was apparent pretty quickly about where this was headed. He told her that she'd always been like his "celebrity crush." He was very charming and sweet to Monet and always so polite and kind to us. Every time we'd see him he text us a thank you. My friend used to coach him and said that for the last ten years he had texted her a "Happy Mothers Day." Which I think is very cute.
Carson is very active, and that is perfect because Monet needs someone that can match her energy. He loves mountain biking, skiing and fishing. And he will also run as well, but he doesn't love it like biking. I think Monet has been loving having someone to ski with and learn new things like biking and fishing.
We are all so excited to plan this wedding and celebrate these two! It feels really great to see my daughter with someone who so obviously loves her very much.
