Facebook is an interesting thing. I've had rock star attention for the last 24hrs, as yestereve I bejeweled the left hand of my loved one.
I blog, yet again, to myself so I don't forget more details about last night than I already have.
The plan had been in the works since the day after Christmas. Cheesy, yes. But I woke up the day after my favoritest of days knowing in my heart that I wanted to marry Elizabeth. It was a great feeling. Uncertainties of past failures finally swept aside and allowing myself a sense of hope in our relationship. Good things.
I asked her sister first. After all, parental decline I could live with, but trying to manage a life with someone while her sister disapproves, thats just suicide. Meaghan was all about it. Ecstatic even. She was my biggest support, and I wore out her phone number during the months of January and February.
I couldn't concentrate on anything meaningful for two days before the proposal. My classes knew I was off, I had no rhythm, I was just waiting in great expectation of Friday night, February 15th. (Yeah, day after Valentine's: classy) If you work with me or above me, skip this next sentence. I did one short activity with my last class that day before succumbing to nerves, and dismissing them about 40 mins early haha. I couldn't think about anything else.
Off to Meaghan's I went for another SuperCuts experience. After the cut I made her sit and listen to me whine and whimper about nerves and such. Then I mustered up the courage to go home, where I needed to make a few quick preparations before Eliz and I headed downtown for our V-day dinner. Quick shower and off to the basement for me. I loaded my coat with the ring and her "gift" and avoided her like the plague, lest she see through my guise.
She gave me some sweet gifts, and we headed out. A pile of anxiety, I drove under the speed limit all the way there, and dropped her off at the restaurant so I could park next to the proposal site unbeknownst to her. There is an overpass atop 670 near Park & Goodale where we had our first awkward moment on our first "non" date. I've known for years I would do it there, and I wanted to avoid her seeing it before dinner at all costs. I hope I didn't snap at her too badly when she suggested I use valet.
Dinner was fantastic. Sushi Rock. Baddass steak, really good sushi, cool atmosphere. But I rushed all of it. A photographer was waiting in the cold for us to finish and shoot the proposal. So i sped the two of us through one of the swankiest dinners we've shared, (told her my parking meter was running out ;) alerted the photographer, and off we went.
Everything was "in the zone" NBA Jam style. On the NW corner of High and Goodale we reminisced about how I told her there that she was "fun", and how fools in her past had never told her that. We talked about our walk back to the car as we approached the overpass, and both automatically went to the spot of our fateful moment from years back, and enjoyed a gaze at the traffic passing beneath us as the February air surrounded us with the lightest touch of snow.
I had given her a small Lego heart at dinner. I told her that I made it as a trinket for her to keep, a piece of my heart. There on the overpass, I told her I lied. I asked to see it and told her it was a part of a bigger Lego kit. She produced the heart from her bag and handed it over, I reached in my pocked and pulled out a small Lego box, affixed the heart to the top in the clumsiest manner imaginable, and bent to one knee. I believe the words out of her mouth were "Are you f%^&*#* kidding me?". I laughed, then told her "take off your gloves".
I can't remember what all I told her. My voice was shaky, my pre-dinner cocktail did me no service to calm my nerves. But I know I told her that when we started, we were weird as s&%*, that she was my weird. But that I couldn't lose her, because she had become such a close friend, my best friend. And that even though we had fallen in love, at heart she was always my best friend. And that's why we work. No matter where out relationship is, we have our friendship to fall upon. I told her "I can't lose you." I said "will you marry me?"
She said yes.
*We partied like kings at Union Café afterwards in the company of good friends and family. Then capped off the evening at the place where our wild reunion began. Cushions :) Huge thanks to everyone who supported me in this effort, friends, family, and the gracious management of Union Café. Now while I type, my princess sleeps beside me, hopefully a little more soundly as I have taken my head out of the sand and admitted; I love her.
