Three Years Ago Today

Three years ago today I begged Mr. D to take me to Disney World.  He insisted we wait and go to Disney the next weekend instead.  I was bummed.  Disney is one of my favorite places and we had been planning this trip for weeks.  It was the only place I wanted to go that weekend.  Earlier in the week Mr. D's Dad had phoned me and explained he won a sunset boat rental, drinks and dinner in a silent auction and the package expired that very weekend and must be used.  Mr. D's parents were out of town...which left the two of us to use the sunset boat rental.  This meant Mr. D and I had to cancel our Disney trip and go on the boat cruise instead. 
What can I say?  I bought it.  So off Mr. D and I went to enjoy our evening on a lake in central Florida.  Before leaving home my Mom BEGGED me to "fluff up" (you know, fix my hair...wear something cute...put on some makeup...) but I insisted it was "no big deal.  Just a spin on the lake." 

Three years ago today Mr. D took me for an afternoon cruise on the lake...

It was a beautiful day and we took turns driving the boat around the lake.  Actually, that's completely false.  Mr. D drove the boat around the lake and I only stood behind the wheel long enough to take this picture.  Hahaha. 

While riding in the car on our way to the lake we found an old CD Mr. D had made for me years earlier.  We decided to pack it for the boat.  Mr. D likes to sing along. 

The first couple of hours on the boat were fun and nothing out of the ordinary, as Mr. D is always a pretty romantic guy.  There were 2 glasses and a bottle of champagne waiting for us.   You know...all part of the silent auction Mr. D's Dad won.  I was loving our date!  I kept going on and on about how nice everything was and how Mr. D's parents were totally missing out on their romantic date...but I was glad they were because we got to enjoy it instead. 
At one point I even looked right at Mr. D and said "Wow. This would be such a perfect proposal idea!  Now someday when you propose you're going to have to top this!"

We were having such a wonderful time and I didn't want our time on the water to end.  It was the most perfect and romantic date I had ever been on.  We decided to go ahead and anchor the boat to watch the sunset.  While we waited on the sun to set we sat talking and laughing and eventually dancing to some of our favorite tunes (like I said, Mr. D is a pretty romantic guy). 

We were standing up watching the sun sink below the water when all of a sudden Mr. D dropped to his knee.  For an instant I had a complete out of body experience as I processed what was taking place.  Mr. D then said some really wonderful things (which I'm not going to share because they were just for me) and I fell to my knees sobbing pretty hysterically.  I was SO surprised and SO caught off guard.  Mr. D proposing was the last thing I expected and I was not emotionally prepared (I didn't even know he had purchased a ring).  There are no words to explain how I felt during those exact moments...I was beyond ecstatic!  In fact, I was so happy I forgot to tell him "YES!!!" until he asked me if "all the crying meant yes?"  It was all perfect. 

The proposal became even more special when I found out Mr. D designed my ring and it was made by the same jeweler in eastern Kentucky who made three of my Aunt's engagement rings.  The whole day seemed so surreal I kept having to stop and ask Mr. D "if all this was really happening?  For real?  It's all happening in real life?"

Later that night Mr. D and I went to dinner (remember, the auction package came with dinner)  which he planned as a late dinner because he knew I would want time to shower and fluff up first (shoulda listened to Mom when I had the chance!).  Just when I thought the evening couldn't get any better we arrived at dinner.  We were the only two people sitting outside on the terrace and Mr. D's parents previously helped him locate the perfect spot where we would have the best view of the golf course.  They also had flowers and a card waiting for us to congratulate us on our engagement.  :) 

Needless to say the "silent auction" part part of the date was all a lie.  There was no silent auction.  Mr. D and his parents contacted the right people in their town, filled them in on the idea and set up the ruse to trick me out of going to Disney World.  Mr. D had the ring and it was burning a hole in his pocket (Literally! Crazy guy carried it in his pocket every day for a week and a half!)  Everyone really went through a lot of trouble and put forth a lot of effort to make the elaborate scheme believable.  I (obviously) ate it up and really didn't suspect a thing. 

I love telling the story of our proposal.  It's so very special and so very "us."  As I sit here writing this post I still get butterflies just thinking about our day on the lake together.  Looking at these photos (btw, THIS is why I ALWAYS have a camera on hand...you never know what's going to happen) and remembering our special date three years ago today makes me smile from the inside out.  I still feel like I'm the luckiest girl in the world and I wouldn't change a thing about our proposal. 
Oh...and in case you're wondering, guess where we went the next day...

Thanks again, Mr. D for an unforgettable day.  Happy Engagement-versary! 
I love you.
(Oh...and Herb, the other Mrs. D, Kim & Uncle Mark...if you're reading big thanks to you too for your assistance in my perfect proposal!)

xoxo,

Mrs. D

(I tried not to get too mushy for y'all...I just wanted to tell our story the way it happened.)