The Cubs just happened to play the LA Dodgers in the MLB Playoffs while Ryane and Adam were out there visiting Ryane's family. Alex found some sweet seats!
Jet-lagged and ready for adventure, they started a morning coastal hike of Noosa National Park (about 2 hours north of Brisbane, Australia). It was brisk and dark but they couldn't stop smiling from their overall excitement. At 0400, only the sound of the waves below accompanied their footsteps and laughter. Just as the sun was peaking over the ocean, they made it to Hell's Gate -- a panoramic, breathtaking cliff outlook. Their GoPro was set up to catch the sunrise as they sat together to enjoy the view.
After a boldly begging magpie and a few morning runners passed through, Adam found a private moment to get down on one knee to confess his love and pop the question. Overwhelmed with joy, Ryane said "Yes!" and embraced him.
Shortly after, they face-timed their parents and Ryane's sisters to announce our engagement.
They ended the tour by singing The Green Dragon song at the Green Dragon Inn, while enjoying a local, exclusive brew.
At the Green Dragon Inn, Ryane was excited to meet Pickles -- a cat that calls the Green Dragon Inn home. Both were ecstatic to catch a Relicanth (NZ exclusive Pokemon) that was promptly named Gandalf.
One of the first dates they had was a trip up river to Leclaire, IA. They visited the winery, distillery, and brewery before capping off the evening with a picnic along the river. Homemade lettuce wraps — YUM!
First stop abroad made perfect sense for these two animal lovers, with the Australia Zoo as the first stop. Adam and Ryane always recall the time they overheard two zookeepers sighing with slight frustration. Another zookeeper came by and asked “what’s going on?”. Both zookeepers sighed, in unison, “wombats”. All of the zookeepers has an “I’ve been there” sense of understanding. Adam and Ryane laughed as they remembered how uncooperative their dogs can be at times. Now, they call their dogs “wombats” when Keely or Kally are being difficult.
Adam and Ryane flew to LA, to meet their youngest nephew, Koi. They went for a hike with everyone starting at Pointe Vicente. Ryane and Adam carefully made their way down to the rocky beach of Pelican Cove Park and snapped this photo.
Hiking near Allenspark
Ryane ran her first 5K trail race, with Adam cheering her on! Keely ran along, with a go-pro to capture some cool footage. She celebrated the end of the run by jumping into Ryane’s arms!
Adam and Ryane ran Relay Iowa with a group of friends. It’s essentially a relay race across the state of Iowa. That’s 339 miles (collectively) from Friday morning to Sunday afternoon! They’ll surely tell you how Iowa is not flat, after running this race.
