Engagement-iversary

Brendan proposed one year ago today, and it was a day that began a wonderful journey in our lives together. I remember how giddy I was on the night he proposed; it all felt so surreal. I had an honest-to-goodness engagement ring on my hand! At work the next day I squealed, "I'm engaged!" to every person I ran into. I could finally buy wedding magazines without feeling like a loser, and it was both exciting and scary to realize that I had eight months to plan a wedding.

I can't believe it's already been a year. This year has been more wonderful than I could have ever imagined.

So, in honor of our engagement-iversary, here's the story of how Brendan proposed.

By the end of April 2007, I had a good feeling the ring was coming; I just didn't know when. Brendan and I met my parents in Dallas the weekend before we got engaged, and on the drive back to Abilene, Brendan asked if we could stop by his sister's house in Fort Worth to "pick up some pants" that his mom had sent him. "Um, whatever," I thought. "He's got to be up to something." We stopped to pick up the pants, and I had an inkling he had the ring. But I still had no idea when the proposal would come.

At ACU as an undergrad, I was part of a six-person group called Fat Tuesday. The six of us were best friends, and we always shared meals together on Tuesday nights. On Tuesday, May 1, the girls suggested we go to Monk's coffee shop after dinner. I wasn’t too crazy about going, but I knew Brendan was working late that night, so I decided to go so I could kill some time before he got off. We were there for quite a while, just talking and having girl time. Suddenly, someone tapped me on the shoulder. I turned around, and Brendan was standing right beside me. For a split-second I thought, “What’s he doing here? He knew I was having girl time tonight!” Then I saw the flowers in his hand, and he asked me to take a walk with him. By then, I knew what was coming. It was so surreal walking out of the coffee shop knowing I was about to be proposed to.

Brendan led me by the hand to a beautiful waterfall in downtown Abilene. He got down on one knee, told me he loved me, and asked me to marry him. When we got back to the coffee shop, my sweet friends had all signed an engagement card for us. It turns out that Brendan was in cahoots with them the whole time. Together they planned going to Monk's after dinner so Brendan could surprise me after he got off work. The fact that he involved my friends made the proposal so much more special.

Then, Brendan drove me back to his house, which was decked out with rose petals and candlelight. He had even bought a cake, which he knows is my very favorite dessert. The night was so wonderful, and it was even more special because Brendan took me completely by surprise.

Out on the town for our four-month wedding anniversary