The Proposal Story

A crazy little thing happened last week while I was in San Diego: While it probably comes to no surprise to most the folks that have known Brad & I for any amount of time, we got engaged!!!

There have been a few special occasions over the past year that I kind of expected it to happen (since we'd looked at rings last summer), but it happened when I didn't expect it at all, which was really great!  Everyone wants to know the proposal story, and I've shared the short version on Facebook, but now I will tell the long version, including a little back story.

The back story.


3 years ago, Brad & I were on one of our earlier dates.  It was the first of many beer tastings Brad had ever taken me to, at Raffe's Beer Garden in Memphis.  This was also the first time we both discovered Abita Strawberry, which Brad later began to stockpile in his garage every spring because it's like strawberry crack in a glass, but that's a different story.  Anyway, this was back before either of us had iPhones and we had our crappy Blackberry phones, which oddly enough, I sure do miss having a physical keyboard. I think Brad and I both agree that texting on a touch screen kind of sucks.  We're sitting there, listening to a live band, sampling a bunch of yummy beers, eating lots of yummy Greek food.  He had a twinkle in his eyes as he looked at me and smiled, holding my hand.  At that moment, he asked me to get out my Blackberry and create a note and enter the date, and then put "???"  I was rather puzzled, but I did what he said.  Several months would pass, and I would ask him, "Hey, remember that note you had me put in my phone?  What's it mean??" He still wouldn't tell me, no matter how many times I asked over the last 3 years.  ARGH!

Fast forward to Friday of last week.

Every year, his job flies them somewhere for training classes by day (and parties by night), and it's always in a really cool city.  Well this year was no different, as it was held in San Diego at the historic 125-year-old Hotel Del Coronado on Coronado Island.   Last year it was in New Orleans, and the previous year in Vegas.  He had me come out both those times as well, and we stayed for an extra few days once the training was over, just to have our own little getaway, and that's what we did time, too.

The last of the job-related events ended as of Thursday night, so the plan was to check out of the Hotel Del Coronado on Friday morning and check into a different hotel for the remainder of the trip, but before we checked out, we had talked about wanting to go for a walk on the beach one last time.  It was so beautiful...the sound of waves crashing, the beautiful blue waters, getting to dig my toes in the sand and let the tide reach my feet.  We were walking along the beach, and I felt like a little kid.  There wasn't a worry on my mind, it was just me and my sweetheart, in a really beautiful place. I caught Brad looking at me with that same twinkle in his eyes, as he would laugh at my reaction to the cold water washing over my toes.  He stopped walking.  I stopped walking.  He pulled me close to him and we just hugged for a moment.

Then he stepped back and asked me, "Do you have your phone?"

It was in my back pocket.

"Do you remember that time, when we were at Raffe's and I had you put that note in your phone?"

"Yeah..?"

"Can you pull it up?"

"Well, no, 'cause it's in my old Blackberry, remember?"

"Aw, really?  Okay..."

He hugged me tightly again, and while this part gets kind of foggy for some reason, something was said about all the adventures we've shared together, and I said "I love you" as I rested my chin on his shoulder and hugged him even tighter.  Then he reached down in his pocket with one hand and pulled out a black ring box, and said, "Will you forever?"  Next thing you know, I was a bawling, raccoon-eyed mess, and I must have said "Oh my gosh" fifteen times as he slipped the ring onto my finger.  I hugged him again and he reminded me that I hadn't said "Yes" yet!

"YES!!!!!"

Then he was laughing as I cried some more and we hugged some more and I got mascara everywhere!  He was all, "Well gosh, if I'm THAT bad..."

"No, these are definitely happy tears!"  I assured him as I laughed.

Brad later went on to tell me that he had wanted to propose sooner than Friday because he had wanted to introduce me to his co-workers as his fiance', but none of those moments felt quite right, so he waited.  Our walk along the beach that morning felt like the perfect time, and it truly was perfect.

So what exactly was the meaning behind the note he had told me to put in my Blackberry on that date at Raffe's 3 years ago?  He told me that as we were sitting there that night, listening to a live band, sampling a bunch of yummy beers, eating lots of yummy Greek food, that it just felt completely natural being there with me, holding my hand, enjoying each other's company.  He said at that moment, he thought to himself, "I'm going to marry this woman one day."

We have been asked when's the big day.  We haven't set an exact date as of yet, but we are wanting to have the wedding this Fall, in New Orleans.  We can't think of a more special location!