Our story started in the breathtaking Columbia River Gorge...
It was August 1st 2009, the Gorge was bustling with excitement, as it is most summer days, with people strolling on the sidewalks of Hood River or racing to get to their favorite summer activity. Kayaking, kite boarding, rafting, windsurfing, hiking.. the list is endless. I had a fun filled girls weekend planned full of camping under the stars and rafting under the endless blue skies. My girlfriends and I arrived at Wet Planet Whitewater for an afternoon rafting trip. This being my first trip, I tentatively took the wetsuit and booties offered to me by the handsome raft guides. As we giggled and pulled on the tight outfit, we all chatted about how excited we were and how cute the raft guides are. Then we arrived at the put in, knees shaking and eyes wide, the White Salmon River was roaring in the background.
The clear blue water, rushing down the narrow gorge, was thrilling and a bit nerve racking. What an amazing way to spend a saturday. Then, we were introduced to our raft guide, Mr. Curt Joyce. There he was, looking as handsome as ever with his own gear, suns-out-guns-out tank top, and sunglasses that were hiding his baby blue eyes. Now, obviously Curt was used to this whitewater rafting thing so he was quick to instruct us to get into the boat. Me, being not quite so used to this whole new world, needed a little more reassurance. So.. I had to slow him down a bit. “Hold on, hold on.. I’m really nervous and I don’t know you, can you please take off your sunglasses so we can officially meet?”.. Needless to say, as his glasses came off, it was all over. Those baby blue eyes looking back with reassurance.. how could I not melt?
The rest of the trip was amazing. How had I taken so long to find this amazing activity? Under the hot sun and crystal clear blue skies, on the wild and scenic White Salmon River, I fell in love with whitewater and was soon to fall in love with the one who introduced me to it.
During that trip I sat in the back next to Curt. As we all talked and laughed and went over waterfalls, fate was taking its course. Looking back now, the pictures show a young, innocent girl who couldn’t take her eyes off of her young, handsome guide.
After the trip, with a little encouragement from my girlfriends, Curt was given my phone number. The tip, well that is another story.. Nobody told us we were supposed to tip!! I have yet to live that down, phone number but no tip... oops. I suppose getting a wife out of that trip is the ultimate tip, right?
And... that is the story of how we met, and as the story goes... they live happily ever after!
