We have some pretty special news – our photographer, Andres, is now engaged to his sweetheart Carla!  Andres asked Carla to marry him over Thanksgiving weekend and she said yes! However, the special plans Andres had for the big question encountered a few hiccups along the way… Thankfully, Nate was there to document the adventure!

Above, you can see what appears to be Andres, Carla, his car, loose sand and the ocean – probably not the best combination.  Andres had a wonderful plan in place for this very special day.  Nate was to arrive at Huguenot Park in advance of the couple, well before dawn, to setup video and photography in a hidden location.  Soon after, the couple were going to arrive, drive out to where he was stationed, and Andres would sing her a song, read her some Scripture, and as the sun was rising, get down on one knee and ask for her hand in marriage.  What happened instead was much more amusing!

We awoke on the morning of the engagement to discover a line of intense storms bearing down on the First Coast.  At best, it looked like we would have 15 minutes between sunrise and torrential rain.   But, we persevered and when Nate arrived at the park, he drove all the way out to the ocean, only to discover the tide was unusually high – making the 1/4 mile drive out to the Jetties impossible. Nate texted Andres.

Unfortunately, Andres didn’t receive Nate’s text, and drove out to the ocean himself.  He soon discovered two things.  First, he was not going to be able to drive to the Jetties.  Second, his car was hopelessly stuck in some very loose sand.  At this point (and to Carla’s surprise) Nate just happened to appear around the corner and offered his assistance.  With Nate’s help, they were able to get the car out of one hole, but it quickly bogged down again – and as Andres and Nate tried to push the car out, all it did was sink further and further into the wet and spongy sand.

It was at about this time that the sun began peek over the horizon.  As you can see above, the car proved to be a wonderful vantage point for Carla – Andres on the other hand was up to his elbows in sand at the time.  With the rain and wind quickly picking up and with the tide now receding, the three ‘amigos’ decided it would be best to hop into Nate’s car and find a place to wait out the rain.  They landed at a great little restaurant near the ferry terminal on Heckshire – Nicole’s on the River.  The food was great, the portions were generous [and by generous I mean gigantic], and the prices can’t be beat.

So – long story made slightly shorter – they spent an hour at Nicole’s, the rain subsided, and they headed back to the stranded car.  With the tide now 40 feet out, the sand had hardened up nicely, and a kind surfer (and his 4×4) was able to pull the car free.  With the crisis averted, Andres and Carla were free to take a stroll, enjoy the ocean, and oh, yes, get engaged!  Congratulations you two!  Here’s to many years of love and joy!

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