Engagement Day Story

For those of you who haven't heard the story, or if you just want to relive the magic, I thought that I would write out the events of that wondrous day...

February 15, 2011
Dave had a fun-filled day planned for our three year anniversary (or 'loviversary' as I like to call it). He didn't tell me any details about the day other than that I needed to bring some dressy clothes for dinner. That morning I was running late due to a catastrophic hair day caused by not knowing how to use my new curling iron properly. Dave picked me up from my house, assured me that my hair did not look like a wild lion's mane, and we were on our way.

As we drove, I began to wonder if the clouds and possibility of rain might hinder our plans for the day. Dave said, ya you better pray that there is no rain. So I prayed that the sun would come out and that the rain wouldn't ruin our plans. We ended up driving to Santa Monica and parking in a parking structure (parking ramp, car park...) that we had been at just a few weeks earlier. I had no clue what we were doing there again. Dave began to lead the way and we walked through the Third Street Promenade, an outdoor area where there are shops and restaurants. It started to rain on my already hideous hair, and Dave realized that he forgot to bring a jacket. Despite the obstacles, we continued on until we reached a British pub. I got excited when I saw it and I was pleased when I found out that we would be eating lunch there.

We went into the pub called Ye Olde King's Head and it brought us back to our days in London where we first met. Dave had a shepherds pie and I had bangers and mash and they tasted just like we remembered. After lunch we went to a shop next door and looked at all of the goodies that reminded us of London. We started walking back to the car and Dave decided to stop and buy a jacket at one of the stores.

When we got back to the car Dave told me that I wasn't allowed to look in the trunk. To my surprise, he pulled out our ice skates. I had no idea how or when he had been able to get my ice skates that were buried deep in my closet. I didn't have a clue where we would be ice skating, but I followed him with skates in hand as we walked down the streets of Santa Monica. It turns out there is an outdoor rink that is open from November through February. In fact, it was the very last day of the year that it was open. Thankfully, by this time the rain had stopped and we put on our skates and did some laps around the rink. It was so fun skating outside, especially being surrounded by palm trees. After our skate we walked back to the car and started to drive again.

We drove for a while and ended up driving past rodeo drive and then up to Mulholland Drive. When we reached Mulholland drive, I knew just where we were headed. A few years ago, we had driven around the area after going to a concert in Hollywood. We happened to come across a small park with a scenic view. We spent a while looking at the lights below, but as we were about to leave, a park ranger stopped us and issued us a ticket for being in the park after hours. We always looked back on that night and laughed that we had to pay $65 dollars for going to the park and looking at the view. So, as we drove, I knew that was where we were going. It took us a while for us to find it, but we relied on Dave's trusty smart phone to guide us to our destination. When we got there I thought to myself that this would be a great place for Dave to propose one day.

All day I had been asking Dave when we could give each other our Valentine's Day/anniversary gifts. We had agreed that we would just write each other a nice letter and perhaps get each other a small trinket. When we parked and got out of the car, Dave told me that it was time to exchange gifts. We grabbed our things and a blanket and walked up some stairs where there were some benches. We had the place to ourselves except for a random little man in a track suit that walked up the stairs, peered at us, then kindly walked back down and out of sight. We sat down on a bench and Dave told me that he hadn't written me a letter. Being the kind and forgiving person that I am, I overlooked it and gave Dave his gift. I also made him a large, cheesy, red, heart-shaped Valentine's card with my letter inside. Then it was time for Dave's gift to me.

First, you need to know some background information. Last year around Christmas, Dave gave me a photo album with pictures of the things that we had done throughout the year. At the end of the album he wrote some nice words and at the end he wrote "Natalie, will you..." and as he read the words he got down on his knee, handed me a ring sizer and said, "...tell me your ring size?" So he had fake proposed to me last year...

For my gift, Dave gave me the same photo album with pictures from the most recent year in it. At the end he did the same thing and wrote words on the remaining pages. Then, he read the words on the last page to me, "I want to spend the rest of my life with you!!!" And that's when he knelt down, busted out the ring and said, "Natalie, will you marry me?"

I was so flabbergasted, I didn't know that he was for real. It took me a few moments to realize what the heck was going on and I finally said "Yes!" He had to force the ring over my huge knuckle and it was the most beautiful thing that I had ever seen! It was an absolutely magical moment that took me by surprise. After absorbing the shock and all the wonderful emotions, I started jumping and dancing around. We took some photos to capture the moment and called our family members and friends to let them know the big news (even though many of them already knew!).

We quickly had to rush and change our clothes to make it to our dinner reservation. Dave took me to a fancy pants restaurant in Beverly Hills called il Cielo where were rose petals waiting for us on the table. Over dinner Dave told me all about his preparation for the day and about the ring. It was all more than I could have ever hoped or dreamed, but the fun still wasn't over. We went back to Dave's house where my family and some of our close friends were waiting to celebrate with us. We got to eat cake and goodies and tell them all about our day. It turns out that there were a lot of people that were in on Dave's secret and I had no idea!

It was a day beyond all my expectations. The rain stopped for us and all of the plans went so smoothly. Honestly, the only thing that I would have changed about the whole entire day would have to be my yucky hair. I think that it was a good lesson for me that I need to focus on what's most important and that things won't always go my way. I have a feeling that will be important to keep in mind as we plan for our wedding and for our future together!