The Proposal

With all the busyness that followed our engagement, I never got around to writing a post about how Matt proposed.  So today, exactly one year after the proposal, I figured it would be fitting to finally write about it.... Here's how it went:

The story really begins back in the spring of that year.  We had seen an advertisement for a "blindfolded tour of Vancouver."  I thought that sounded like an interesting idea, but Matt said he could give me a blindfolded tour for free.  From time-to-time, I would remind him of his promise of a blindfolded tour to which he would reply that he hadn't forgotten.

Over that summer, we had started talking a lot about our future and wanting to spend the rest of our lives together.  I knew if we wanted to get married the following summer (which is exactly what I wanted), Matt would need to propose soon so that I could start making actual plans!  But September was a busy month leaving very little time to ourselves.  I was beginning to wonder if Matt was ever going to propose!

Finally, the last weekend in September, we had a weekend to ourselves.  I kept dropping hints, trying to see if he had anything planned yet, but instead he accepted a birthday party invitation for Saturday night - how was he supposed to propose if we always had plans with other people?!?!

I shouldn't have worried about it, he had it all planned out!  Sabbath morning, he texted to see if I was awake and up for "a little adventure in the rain before breakfast."  Living in Vancouver, rain is a normal part of everyday life, so I agreed.  He picked me up at 8, informing me that it was going to be a blind-folded sensory adventure, finally fulfilling his promise.

After driving around for a while, I was disoriented and had no idea where he was taking me.  When we reached his planned destination, he took me by the hand and started leading me through the tour, describing various things along the way and telling me little stories about his first impressions of me.  In one place we stopped and he gave me something to taste: trail mix to remind me of our first backpacking trip together, which was when he first started falling for me.  In another place he stopped and gave me something to feel: it was shells from Saipan to remind me of our first big trip together and our mutual love for travelling.  After walking some more, he sat me on a log and and told me to listen: he took out his guitar and sang me a song, "First Day of My Life" by Bright Eyes.  After that, he began describing an art piece that he could see.  I had no idea what he was trying to describe, so he finally let me take off the blindfold.  In front of me was a poster that he had made from pictures of the various places that we had already visited together.  After talking about all the great memories that we've already made, Matt took me by the hand and led me down to the beach where he got down on one knee to propose.  His knee barely hit the sand before I pulled him back up to hug him and tell him "YES!" with happy tears in my eyes.

Now, happily married for 77 days, it feels like forever and just yesterday that it all happened.  It's so beautiful to look back to that exciting day and to remember all the feelings that we were both overwhelmed and overjoyed with.  But even more beautiful is the realization that, although we were so in love a year ago, we love each other even more now!  I look forward to watching our love continue to grow with each day ahead of us!

*Note: The "engagement pictures" above were taken a while after the actual engagement, but they were all taken at the same place where the proposal took place.