The Proposal

So back in the day when Tom and I first started dating, my birthday was a month into it and I was supposed to be leaving a month later for NET for a year. So for my birthday Tom had given me a survival kit for my new NET adventure. It was full of random cute little things like bandaids, letter writing supplies, etc. The last thing he included was a ring-pop and the note for the ring pop said “Just say yes.” Within days of meeting, Tom was asking me to marry him so it was a cute joke. It started when I made him coffee one day while we were working on the same group at camp. But then for our entire dating relationship he was ALWAYS asking me to marry him - so much that I put a ban on it many times because it was annoying and never true!

So on March 8, 2011 we were going to spend the day together because I have Mondays off and he had it off. He told me we were going to go on an adventure that he had planned. So I was all game! He told me it involved being outdoors and hiking so I told him I was going to wear my rubber boots (which he hates!). So we went out for brunch around 11 or so and then went back to my apartment before we went on the adventure.

We were sitting on my couch preparing for our adventure, when Tom hands me a letter. So I’m like ok….it was a year ago this week that Tom was first diagnosed with cancer. The letter was about the last year and everything that has gone on. Then at the end he said “so we are going to go on adventure today but first I have some supplies for you if you want to go on the adventure so let me know.” So of course I’m like “heck yes adventure!” So he hands me another shorter note. This note said something along the lines of, “when we first met I gave you a care package to prepare you for your adventure for NET. You didn’t like how that one ended (meaning with a ring pop). So today we will go on another adventure. One that I don’t know all of what we will need but I know how to start.” Then he handed me a little fanny pack and told me to turn the letter over. So I did and on the back it said, “Just say yes!” So I could feel in the fanny back that it was once again A RING POP! So I am about to get angry and he gets up off the couch, gets down on one knee and asks me what I can only assume was will you marry me but in reality I know I just froze and heard nothing!

For the first bit it was very surreal! And surprisingly I didn't cry which is what I always thought would happen right away! After about 20 minutes of asking “for real?” I cried a little. Then I called my mom and told her and then called my dad at work and THEN I broke down in tears.

It was a very ‘us’ day. Nothing fancy.