Show Us Your Life - Marriage Proposal

I love thinking back to the day Brad proposed to me. It is such a special memory for us. We had been dating for just about 2 years, and had started talking about marriage several months before. We were actually considering holding off until Brad finished college but that would have been about 2-3 more years. (I already had my degree and was in the working world, and Brad was working in addition to school himself.) We prayed about it and ultimately, we just felt a tugging at our hearts and knew we were ready for this next step sooner rather than later.

So I knew the proposal was coming, but I wanted to be surprised and Brad wanted to surprise me so we left it up to him to make the decision on when to ask. I am a bit of a planner though! :) So I gave him ideas and examples of what I liked for my ring. I think he liked this anyway because he wouldn't be worried whether I would like what he picked out or not. I did mention once that it would be fun for him to propose on New Years Eve, that was only a few months away at the time. He swears he doesn't remember me saying that...but it may be what planted the idea in his head! :) Guess, we'll never know for sure. So when Brad told me he was making plans to take me out for New Year's Eve I was anticipating good things!

There were also other clues that I couldn't ignore...or maybe I was looking for them! It was all such an exciting time in my life (wrapped around a very difficult time in my life as well, but that's for another post). The biggest clue was at a Christmas gathering with his family. When his Dad prayed for the family, he said something about me being "part of the family" or an "addition to the family." Unfortunately, I can't remember the exact wording, but I picked up on it, and later (after the proposal) Brad told me he did too. It was definitely a slip up by my future father-in-law because they all knew he would be proposing soon. Another little clue, was when I bought new earrings that December (they were very small hoops that had diamond looking gems in them) and Brad commented that they looked like rings. Hmmm...could he have thought that because he'd been looking at a lot of rings while engagement ring shopping! :) I put it in my memory bank that day and just smiled.

In the end, Brad took me to Lee's Lakeside at Lake Eola in Downtown Orlando. (Sadly, it is no longer there.) We were one of the first ones seated that night right by the window overlooking the lake, and the sun was setting. I'm glad there wasn't a lot of people around. I could tell Brad was nervous. He couldn't quite sit still during the salad. Later, he told me he had planned to wait to ask until dessert but realized he just couldn't wait any longer. So during salad, he looked at me and said he had something he wanted to tell me. Then he told me how much he loved me and how he couldn't imagine his life without me. He saw an amazing future together for us, and then he got down on one knee by the table and asked me to marry him! Of course, I said yes! :) Then Brad was finally able to relax, and we talked excitedly about the future.

He did an amazing job with the ring. He had it made with the help of a friend who worked at a jewelry store. It was ever prettier than I had imagined it would be. He told me he would upgrade the main diamond to a bigger one in the future, but I thought the size was perfect. Even to this day, I still have the same diamond...and I love it! He also was a complete gentleman and asked for my Dad's hand in marriage prior to the night he proposed. I was living with my Dad and Stepmom at the time so he had to be stealthy with his planning to not tip me off.  When we got home that night they were waiting to hug us and congratulate us! Then they took our picture by the Christmas tree. That picture still sits in a frame in our bedroom today. [I will have to add the photo in later because I don't have access to it right now. We look really young in it.]

And if you want to check out more fun marriage proposals, check them out at Kelly's Korner Blog. I can't stop reading them all!