Our Engagement - my version

In 2004, I became very focused on getting this marriage thing rolling. I'm not sure if I've mentioned before, but don't get me wrong I'm in no hurry to walk down the aisle - when we do it, I want to do it right. But, after six years of being together, I felt that it was at least time for the engagement part of the whole process to take place. I began by dropping hints, then by making those hints a little less subtle, and finally an full-on discussion of "please just give me some reassurance that this will happen someday."

Sexy Boyfriend was very patient with me, and acknowledged that this was something that was very important to him as well. He told me that he was anticipating getting his bonus in July of 2005, and that getting engaged was one of his priorities. We started looking online at ring styles that I liked, and visiting jewelry stores to see how big a carat really is and things like that. This appeased me.

After we returned from Cuba in January, SB began working very long hours. He goes to work for 8am at the latest every day, and he was regularly staying until 11pm. Every weekend that I would work, he would also go in to work, and on my weekends off he would often go to work in the morning and come back around 1 or 2. It was a trying time, very difficult since we rarely saw each other. It was also frustrating to know that in June he would be going home to New Brunswick for two weeks for some weddings and a graduation - and that I would be staying in Montreal, working because I had to take another, separate vacation from his for my sister's graduation.

In late April, on a Friday while driving to work SB said to me "my friend and I decided to do something stupid this weekend" (this was a weekend that I had to work, which would usually mean he would be working as well)
"Oh ya, what?"
"We're going to take his car and drive to the Maritimes - he has a client in Halifax, and he's going to drop me in Moncton to visit my family"

I stewed over this information all day, and asked for advice from several of my friends. When he finally got home that night at around eleven I basically tore him a new one. I yelled that for months he has been spending every waking moment working, and that soon he would be going away for a two week vacation without me, and that the least he could do is try to work while I'm working, and spend the time we're not working together, instead of travelling to see his family while I'm at work. I yelled and cried for hours. He finally called his friend at 2 in the morning and cancelled the trip (they were supposed to leave at 6am).

A week or so later, he called me at work and told me to do everything I could to get the weekend of our anniversary off (May 14). Actually, first he called my work (a call center for telephone orders) to try and get in touch with one of my colleagues and get her to switch it as a surprise, but then it got too complicated. He told me that his bosses had noticed how hard he had been working, and when he told them about our little tiff, they decided to send us to a five star inn for our anniversary. I was pretty stoked - they will often send us out for dinner, and things like that, but this was the coolest gift ever.

When we arrived at the inn, there was a card and chilled champagne in the room waiting for us. I took a bath in the jacuzzi tub, got dressed and we relaxed in front of the fireplace drinking champagne. Then we opened our anniversary gifts - actually I just opened mine, since I had already given SB his a few days before. He got me a cheese knife set and a cutting board, and we used them to eat some cheese we picked up before. He said there would be something else to open later, but that he wanted to open this one so we could use it.

We went down for dinner, which was amazing. We had a table by the window, overlooking the lake. Through dinner we talked about getting engaged, and how great it will be. We also talked about how annoying it is when people take photos in such a nice dining room.

When our dessert arrived, SB gave the waiter our camera and asked him to take a picture since it was our anniversary. I groaned loudly, but he insisted. The guy took a few pictures, then showed us the camera - SB asked him to take a few more. Then he stood up, clinked his fork on his glass, and addressed the whole room. At this point I pretty much figured what was happening, and I started bawling. I barely remember anything he said, and then he got down on his knee and asked the question. Of course I said yes, and the whole room went crazy. People were congratulating us all night. At first I was nervous to look at the ring, but then I finally did and it was GORGEOUS.

When we sat back down at the table he told me his version of the story, which I'll blog about in another post.

After dinner, we called our families, drank more champagne, and all that stuff. It was really incredible. By far the best surprise ever.