The Proposal: Making Sara and Kevin Official

Monday, June 24th was a night over two years in the making. To be honest, I think both Sara and I would have preferred this day to have happened a long time ago...but a mission in Utah prevented that from happening.

The buildup started during the middle of the previous week. After much discussion, we just decided to go ring shopping. I've learned that Sara is someone who prefers action/touch to discussion/theory. So we went shopping. Our second stop was Kay's. In the midst of trying on all of the rings, one just stood out. I should have known in that moment that we didn't need to shop anymore, but I wanted to be thorough. We continued ring shopping for two more days and finally made the BIG purchase. ("Big" may have different meanings to the men and women reading this)

You may be wondering why we went together to ring shop. After all, that takes a lot of the surprise out of the big question, right? Well, Sara is a wise girl. She knows my fashion sense is not a strength of mine. She might call it a weakness. Because of that I think she wasn't about to let me make such a big decision on my own. I'm grateful for her wisdom because I wouldn't have had the slightest clue what to look for!

Then came the big night. I doubt there was any surprise, but that didn't stop my game plan. Our first "real" date was to a small mid-scale restaurant in Vienna, VA called Maple Ave. We happened to return there for a reservation at the exact same table from two-plus years ago. Not only was it sentimental for Sara but I must say the food is just wonderful. I'd recommend it to anybody looking for a good, unique meal.

Then came part two. We got in the car and drove downtown to the tidal basin and monuments. Last time we made this drive it was our second date. All was the same except I was driving this time. Sara knew what I was doing. When we got there we made the same walk that we did before, only this time minus cherry blossoms. We walked through the FDR memorial, the Lincoln Memorial and the Jefferson Memorial. As we looped the tidal basin we took a seat near where we sat two years earlier. It was there that I told Sara I wanted to tell her how she had won my heart. Even though I was leaving on a mission I wanted to make sure she knew where I stood. I didn't plan on her waiting for me...in fact, I told her not to! (That shows how well she listens to me) Nevertheless, that was the spot.

After our reunion at the tidal basin was over, we looked for a bench to sit on. It was on that bench that Sara first told me we would try this thing out. Unfortunately, I made a wrong turn and the bench I was looking for was a half mile farther than I thought. Whoops! Luckily, Sara was so excited that she didn't seem to mind the mishap. After we found our seat, we chatted for a bit, waited for a private moment, and asked the question. "Will you marry me?" I don't think there was much in question...but I still had to ask. She said yes!

Now...to plan a wedding and a life.