Hello, lovelies! I’d love to say that I have a wonderful blog post ready for you today, but I don’t. I WILL be sharing the second half of our engagement pictures and a not-so-brief recount of how we got engaged. I hope you enjoy! It’s one of the best moments of my life, and I’ll be surprised if by the time I finish I’m not in tears. Oh, geez. Here goes!
“Heaven, I’m in heaven
And my heart beats so that I can hardly speak
And I seem to find the happiness I seek
When we’re out together dancing cheek to cheek”
Miguel and I dated for 10 years (to the day) when we got engaged. He doesn’t have a typical work schedule, so we have generally celebrated every holiday we’ve spent together whenever we had the time. Our 10-year anniversary was no exception. He was set to leave work at 8 PM. Like Murphy’s Law was written for us: a huge influx of work came in at around 7:30 and he was told he would be needing to stay after hours.
Unknowingly, I was at home watching Sex and the City for the millionth time with my cousin. I asked her several times if I was required to curl my hair and wear make-up if we were only going to the movies (re-living our first date! I was so tired though! Luckily, she convinced me!). When he called giving me the bad news, I slowed allllllll get ready processes.
At 8 PM sharp, I got the call from my boyfriend telling me our 9:30 movie plans were BACK ON! He also asked if my dad was home. He said he had to drop off something from work (they used to work together!), but I informed him that my dad was out of town with my grandparents for a wedding. I quickly hung up because my mountain of hair WAS NOT about to curl itself. YIKES.
Ever the practical man, my then-boyfriend always said we should spend our money on a home rather than a wedding (yeah, whatever!). So, at the time, we were building our home. When Miguel arrived to pick me up that evening, he told me about a gaping hole that had been accidentally made and repaired in the master bedroom. Being that I was on Thanksgiving Break from work and had not visited the house in an entire week, my heart sank at my negligence (Building a house is no joke. I had been there every day since we broke ground!). When we arrived, Miguel sent me to investigate the damage while he wandered off to another part of the house to check….who knows what.
I searched for that hole by the light of a lantern FOREVER. My guilt sinking in as I covered another inch of perfectly constructed wall. I then came out of the master bedroom to find my handsome boyfriend waiting for me with arms outstretched ready to press play on his phone. When he took me in his arms, a speaker began the familiar bouncy tune of what had always been and would soon officially become ‘our song,’ L-O-V-E.
As we danced ‘cheek-to-cheek,’ he whispered happy whispers of being “almost there” and I smiled and cried because it was so true, our house was almost done! He isn’t a nervous person, but I could tell he was breathing funny. As long as we had been together, I never once assumed or expected he would propose, so I danced his nervousness off as excitement for our home and this milestone we had reached. When the song neared its end we embraced each other, kissed briefly, then headed toward the door to make it to the movie!
What I didn’t expect and was not prepared for was the moment that he took my hand, spun me around, and told me that he had, “One more thing…”
By the light of a lantern, with the help of the unlit crystals of our dining room chandelier, and the last few notes of ‘our song’ playing, I looked at my boyfriend for the last time as he held the sparkliest engagement ring in his hands. My heart exploded, the tears fell, and my mascara RAN (I was so unsuspecting, I wore the one that was ‘easier to wash off’ #rookiemistake).
Miguel didn’t share that he’d be proposing with any of our family members for the fear of it getting back to me! I’m pretty perceptive, so I don’t blame him! When we got in the truck, my fiancé begged me to call my dad. He wanted to visit him and formally ask him for my hand prior to seeing me, but didn’t get the chance! (Don’t worry, he called!) We arrived at my mother’s house and shared the good news and she told me she had known for a month-or-so! I called my sister and we cried excitedly, then we visited every family member we could!
After all that time. After all those years. I never EXPECTED to be his forever. I always hoped and prayed and wished, but never expected. On this love day, I remember how lucky I am to be loved by someone I love so much. I still hope and pray and wish for forever every day. I make myself available to receive every ounce of love my forever valentine is able to give and give him every ounce my heart is able to hold. Maybe this post wasn’t as much for y’all as it was for me. I always hoped our wedding and engagement pictures would look like I felt, and I think they really do. Happy Valentine’s Day, friends!
