yes it's true...

...Danny and I are engaged!

He proposed to me on the morning of April 11th, exactly two years after he asked me to be his girlfriend. We had planned a daytrip to Chicago, something we had hoped to do before, but never gotten a chance. He picked me up at five o'clock in the morning, (though I had trouble waiting even that long,) and we set out; but first, we agreed, we would stop by Peabody Park, a very special place for us, to exchange "anniversary gifts." After giving him my gift, (a scrapbook,) there in the foggy, predawn darkness on the riverside, it was his turn. He told me to hold out my hands, and close my eyes, and as I did I felt a ring sliding onto my finger... "I knew it!" I gasped, and looked to see him lower himself to one knee, and ask the question...

It was not the wind in Chicago that kept us floating all day. We must have been the two happiest people in history to ever get stranded on the L. As we walked to and through Navy Pier, we stole many glances at my hand to make sure we were not dreaming. Though we are both highly appreciative of fine art, not even the vibrant colors of Renoir nor the exquisite brushstrokes of the great Italian painters at the world famous Art Institute could hold our attention for long, especially not when I was standing next to the most beautiful thing in the world. As I tried on blouses from the clearance rack on the fourth floor of Macy's, he evaluated the results with adoring eyes and praised me as one praises a princess dressed for a ball. And as we sat at the classy Italian cafe enjoying bruscetta, salmone and fettuccine, I would not have wanted to be anywhere else for the world.

As you may have guessed from my first comment, I was not wholly surprised by the proposal; in fact, I was almost expecting it. It did not take long for us, after we officially reinstated our dating relationship, to come back to the decision that we had made last summer to get married. Ah, how do I explain what it's like to know that he is the one that I want to share my life with? I feel so much peace about it; it is so right for us to be together.

I think we will probably be getting married in August; it will be a small, family only ceremony, and hopefully outdoors. Still, there is much planning to be done!

I hope you all have a blessed day. :)