The Proposal

Joe and I are getting married and I could not be more excited!

Are you ready to hear about the proposal?!  As crazy as this may sound, it all begins with the gift Joe got me this past Christmas.

In this envelope, was a riddle.  In short, the riddle stated that over the next year I would be receiving one gift every month.

A few weeks ago, I opened my July envelope.  The riddle inside told me that I would be going to a nearby park to stand right under airplanes as they take off and land (don’t worry, it’s safe).  This is something I had wanted to do for a long time – ever since a year ago when my friend did it with her family and told me what a great time she had!  As if that wasn’t enough, I also received my SEPTEMBER gift that day!  It was a trip to a very nice seafood restaurant, The Chart House.  Although I was curious as to why I was getting my September gift so early, I did not think much of it because Joe told me it was located near the park where we would be going to watch airplanes.   He thought, or so he claimed, that the two presents together would make a nice date night.

We planned to have our date night this past Saturday.  After waking up around seven and having breakfast, the day seemed like any ordinary day.  Around noon, my Mom started telling me that I really needed a haircut (thanks Mom).  When I did not seem to be putting any effort into getting my hair cut that second (she was in on the proposal), my Mother had to take matters into her own hands.  She 0ffered to pay for the trim herself and, since I like keeping money in my bank account, we went to the hair salon right then and there.

After arriving home, I quickly got ready and waited for Joe to come and pick me up.

When he arrived at my house, I attempted to give him one of those hugs where I try to squeeze out his insides.  On any normal day he can put up with these hugs, but on the day when he had my engagement ring in his pocket, hugs were no longer his thing.  Although I asked him a billion times why he wasn’t letting me hug him, it never once occurred to me what was going on.

Clueless, I got into Joe’s car and headed to the park.  After watching several airplanes fly right over my head (I really apologize for not getting a picture of this – it was so cool!), we decided to take advantage of the fact that we were so close to the Potomac River by walking along its banks.

It was in the middle of our walk, right next to the river, where Joe handed me my August gift.  I opened the envelope, and when I looked up he was down on one knee.

I wish I could tell you how he asked me to marry him, really I do.  However, I seemed to have blacked out during the period of time when he was proposing.  I remember what he looked like during that moment, but as for the words coming out of his mouth….I got nothing.

Following the proposal, the two of us headed to The Chart House to eat some seafood and just enjoy the moment.

When I look back on that night, all I can think about is how happy I felt and how perfect it was.  The only thing that even compares to that feeling is the one I get knowing that I will be spending the rest of my life with my best friend!  I love you Joe!!!

And in case you are interested….