Entries tagged with “proposal” from Prom to Altar

A year ago today, Patrick asked me to marry him and I said yes. We haven't written much about our engagement story, so I thought I'd write a bit now for my lunchtime blogging break. It's a bit long, but that's not much of a surprise now is it?

We'd decided to go to Albany for the weekend to see our parents for the weekend of August 18. I don't know when Patrick's scheming started-- if it was before or after that decision. He'll have to fill you in on his side. As far as I knew, we'd decided to go home for a run of the mill visit. He suggested that we get our parents together for dinner since we'd only be there for one night. I suggested a barbecue to my parents, they called Pat's mom and dad, and dinner was arranged. I do know that this was all part of Pat's plan.

August 18 was a gorgeous day, and Patrick suggested that rather than our normal running around Albany trying to cram in a bunch of visits and errands, we should enjoy the day in town together. (So full of suggestions, but I just thought it was another one of our adventures). We went to lunch at Justin's (the site of our first date all those years ago), much fancier than our usual Mass Pike road lunches. We sat in the same part of the restaurant we sat in that first day and reminisced a bit-- I confessed how I was so nervous on that first date that I could hardly eat my tomato soup, and then I felt really bad that he was paying for tomato soup that I barely touched. I don't remember, but hopefully I payed for another part of that date. We remembered how it was pouring rain, how even that first day we kept extending the date and putting off the moment we had to part.

After strolling Lark Street we drove up to Thacher Park-- another spot that we frequented in our early days. We'd go up there to sit on the wall by the overlook, hike around, take in the view, and talk. The first ring Patrick gave me was given while we were sitting on that wall in 1998-- shortly after we started dating he went to Washington DC with a music department trip. The time apart was torturous (we were teenagers in love!) and when he came back he gave me a hematite ring he had bought me. I loved that ring (and that he'd given it to me) and I was heartbroken when it shattered one night while I was babysitting. I tried to glue it back together, but it never held very well. I still have the pieces.

Anyway, on that day last year we did a little photo shoot at the overlook, and then drove over to take a walk near one of our favorite spots. Thinking back, he fumbled in the car a bit while I waited to begin our walk-- I figured he was doing something with his camera. We stopped to take in the view near a footbridge over a brook and a small ledge, which we would venture out onto back when we were crazy teenagers.

As we stood there, Patrick started talking about our past-- how far we'd come, how deep our love had grown, how happy we've made each other all these years. And then he says "Now, how about beginning the next chapter of our future-- Nicole, will you marry me?" (or something like that-- maybe he remembers exactly, I was too surprised to remember verbatim) and he's down on one knee with the ring. After a few moments of speechlessness, I told him "of course!" and I can't even describe the feeling as we stood there with the view of the Capital Region sprawling out below us, hugging and kissing and absorbing this moment we've dreamed about. Time stopped.

Of course, we wanted to tell the world -- but we couldn't, not yet. The plan was that we'd tell our parents when they were all together that night at my parents' house. But they had to be the first to know-- no telling anyone else before then. We killed time with a walk along the Indian Ladder trail and photo shoots along the way.

After an hour or so we were getting antsy and anxious and decided to make our way towards dinner. When we arrived in Guilderland it was still too early, so we bought some champagne and then killed more time with coffee at the diner. This is one of my favorite things from that day-- we sat at the counter, giddy with our secret. And then my parents called wondering where the heck we were and my mom thought I'd be there to help her make dinner. Oops... too much time killed.

I was shaking with excitement as we walked back to my parents' patio, where they were all waiting. I carried in a pan of peach cobbler that I'd made, hiding my new bling. As soon as I put it down, we couldn't wait any longer and blurted out the news (the news our parents have been waiting years for)! Of course it was met with joy and kisses and hugs all around. We popped the cork on the champagne and spent the evening toasting.

The next day, we made the rounds to give the news in person to our grandmothers (as we said goodbye to two of them this summer I was so thankful that we did this last summer, and that we had that moment with each of them) and spent the evening calling the rest of our families and friends.

All of it was exactly right.