Engaged!

Our one-year anniversary was December 16. Bryan picked me up from work a bit early – I had no idea what he had in store for us. He drove me to Lincoln Park, our favorite neighborhood park. This was the first day of snow in Seattle and we still had a couple inches on the ground. The air was crisp, as we got out of the car I had on my warmest coat, hat and scarf. Walking down the path to the water, we were surrounded by beauty. Clear blue sky, a blanket of white on the ground, and nobody else around.

Bryan guided us to a log on the beach, where the land curved and we had a panoramic view of the Sound. He pulled out a bottle of champagne with some glasses, we took in the scenic views and enjoyed the silence. Just as the sun dropped behind the mountains, Bryan pulled out a wrapped present. Inside was a stack of photos titled “Bryan & Melissa Memory Cards”, hand-selected and mounted on stiff paper. They told the story of our first 12 months together; written on the back of each one was a short inscription of what we were doing in the photo. It was very apparent that much thought was put into this production and I enjoyed every moment of revisiting these photos. When I got to the last photo, it was inside its own envelope (fishy!); I found a hand-drawn bride and groom on one side (and was quite teary by this point) – on the other was “will you continue to make memories for the rest of our lives”. I fell into Bryan’s arms for a big hug and a series of “yes”es. It was official and very exciting – we were engaged!