Five On Friday - Our Engagement Story

Today marks nine years since Brian and I got engaged.  Nine.  Holy moly!  I may have to take back what I said yesterday about not being bothered by getting older because this makes me sound like an old lady!  I just cannot believe that it was that long ago.

But seriously, the best decision I have ever made in life was marrying Brian and I’m so thankful every single day that I get to have him by my side forever and ever and ever.  Am I scaring you, babe?  ;o)

I thought that it would be fun to share five facts about our engagement with you in honor of our special day.

O N E – I was beyond ready for him to propose!

Brian and I started dating in August 2003 when I was 21.  I knew immediately that he was going to be the boy that I was going to marry, and I think that he felt the same way as he told me that he loved me only a couple of short months later.  Years went by – I graduated college and started a career, we traveled all over the place together, and we spent every spare waking moment together.  Around three years in, I started getting antsy.  You see, Brian is a procrastinator by nature.  He’s a last minute kinda guy, and in true Brian fashion, he waited until I was about to go crazy before finally popping the question.  However, Brian also does his best work at the last minute, so in true Brian fashion, the whole thing was perfection.

T W O – He asked my dad’s permission first.

You guys, this is huge.  Do any guys even do this anymore?  I mean, he actually called my dad on the phone and asked to take him out to lunch where he then asked for my hand in marriage.  And I never even knew anything about it until after the fact.  I think this gesture meant the most to me because it showed how much respect he has for me and also for my entire family... the family that is now also his.  And I know that my dad was so appreciative of it.  It has to be hard giving away your only little girl...

T H R E E – He bought a bench and hauled it to the lake for the occasion.

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Okay, so back story here – one of my favorite places in the entire world is my childhood neighborhood.  My parents moved there when I was just seven years old and they still live there to this day.  When Brian and I first started dating, we shared our first kiss on a bench down by the neighborhood lake.  At some point during the next few years, the bench disappeared and I was pretty bummed that our special spot was gone. 

One day, a bench just reappeared from thin air and I remember commenting to Brian that it was really neat that it was back.  Well, a few days later, on a regular Sunday evening, Brian and I had driven to my parents’ house for our usual Sunday evening with them.  We had a nice dinner, visited with my family, and then left around 9 right after The Amazing Race was over, just like we always did. 

Instead of driving straight out of the neighborhood like we usually did, Brian drove down by the lake, and I was completely clueless as to why.  He parked, stopped the car near the lake, and we went to sit on the new bench that had recently appeared.  The next thing I knew he was pulling my dream engagement ring out of his pocket, getting down on one knee, and asking me to marry him. 

Turns out, he had bought the bench and hauled it down to the lake to get everything staged for the perfect proposal.  Needless to say, we eventually took the bench home because I’m keeping that bad boy forever and ever!  It’s still in our garage to this day.  Thank goodness nobody took it while it was down there!

After the proposal, we drove right back to my parents’ house to share our exciting news, and then we drove to Brian’s dad’s house where he opened some wine to celebrate.  We followed that with a trip to Brian’s mom’s house to share the news there as well  It was quite a late night but I didn’t even care.  I was on top of the world!

F O U R – He popped the question on April Fool’s Day.

Well, this speaks for itself.  He didn’t intend to do this, but it’s just funny to think that it could have gone soooo wrong if I had thought it was a joke!  And it also makes for a funny story.

F I V E - We have a painting of our special place hanging in our bedroom.

If you saw my master bedroom tour, you already know this, but it’s so special I think it’s worth sharing again.  Brian’s aunt is an artist, and she told us that she wanted to paint something special for us for our wedding gift.  Well, I knew just the thing.  We sent her some pictures of our bench by the lake, and she painted a beautiful picture of our special place.  It still hangs on the wall in our bedroom and I will cherish it forever.

And now here's a photo dump of the rest of my favorites...

Well friends, I hope that you enjoyed our little love story and all of our engagement photos.  If you pop a bottle of bubbly tonight, think of us!  And enjoy your weekend!

*Linking up with A Liz Adventures and Carolina Charm for Five on Friday, A Little Bit of Everything for Friday Favorites, Living for Naptime for BFF Friday Link-up Party,  September Farm and The Farmer's Wife for Oh Hey, Friday, and Meet @ the Barre for Friday Favorites!