I love you...

Was I planning on saying "I love you?"  No.  Did I think that we were even to that point in our relationship?  Not necessarily.  Was it the right time and place?  Probably not.  Did I do it anyways?  Of course!

The first time you say "I love you" to the person that you're meant to be with is supposed to be perfect.  You get dressed up nice and make sure you smell just right.  You find a way to set the mood, maybe a nice dinner.  And when the moment is just right you express exactly what your heart has been telling you for weeks.

For us, it worked a little bit differently (except for that last part).  We had just hiked a mile and a half through cold weather in the middle of nowhere with three of our friends.  We arrived at a hole in the ground where I asked Shannon to trust me as we rappelled 150 feet down into the earth; passing by broken mining ladders and long forgotten items left by those who had gone before us.  We crawled through the dirt on our bellies as we explored every small crack and crevasse that we could find.  Finally we made our way the the deepest part of the cave where we were covered in dirt and grime.


It was here that we finally took a break.  We finally took a moment to relax and enjoy where we were.  With all of our lights turned out we sat in complete darkness.  Silence.  Depth. Emptiness.  We were 200 feet underground and were completely shut off from the outside world.  Covered in dirt, wearing silly helmets, and sitting in bat excrement, I don't know what came over me.  I pulled Shannon in close to me and whispered, "Shannon Paige Powell, I love you."