Today, being only 5 short days away from my wedding, I thought I'd re-post the proposal story (with a handful of minor edits). It is so sweet and perfect, so us. And all of the photos in this post are from that day! (As a bonus, you can even see one of my first few ugly attempts at a watermark in the corner of each photo.)
The college campus where Jon and I both went to school, and where I used to live, is utterly gorgeous. It has sweeping views of the Hudson River, scenic areas with beautiful trees and flowers, and quiet gardens full of romance and charm.
On June 15th, 2010, Jon and I were lounging in my dorm, getting ready to meet some friends for dinner. He was in an exceptionally affectionate mood. A little while before we needed to get in the car and go, he says to me, "Let's take a walk." Sure, why not? It wasn't hot out, we had time, and campus was very quiet, due to it being summer break.
So we meandered around campus, me with my camera taking pictures everywhere. We were slowly walking up around the small building that I work in, and I was chatting with a coworker that was passing by. Jon started to get a bit... pushy, but not in a bad way.
He nudged me up the hill and up some stairs that I knew led in a couple different directions. One little trail off the stairs led to a quiet garden tucked away behind another small building. He pulled me into the garden and I promptly got distracted by some flowers. So, I squatted down on the trail and starting taking pictures. I was facing away from him, and he was suddenly very quiet behind me, while I chattered on about the flowers and how pretty they were and how awful the light was.
After a few minutes, he says, "Why don't you come take pictures of these blue and purple ones over here?" Immediately, I got so excited! I thought,
Jon is seeing photos like I do! I quickly turned around and walked over to him.
Hang on... "What are you talking about?? There's no blue flowers! They are pink and purple!"
"Look closer."
I practically shoved my face in the flowers, and then almost fell over. There, nestled inside the flowers, was a black box with a ring.
I started sobbing and laughing, all at once.
The rest is a bit of a blur. I know I shot right into his arms, and we hugged and kissed a lot. I know we both said some stuff, but all I remember is staring into his eyes and seeing myself, my future, my love. I never knew how amazing this could feel. With that little ring, our relationship took on a whole new level. Our love for each other strengthened and deepened to become something new, something magical; I never could have imagined it would feel like this, not in my wildest dreams.
Since then, I've felt myself changing and developing as I take on this new role - "fiance," soon to be "wife." Even through the wedding stress and disagreements that we are already having, I know my heart has doubled in size. Rather than making room for him, I've designated him as my sole love, and made room on the side for everything and everyone else. No matter what we go through, I know he'll always be there for me, and I'll always be there for him.
