Let’s just say our proposal story was well-intended and a bit cooky like us. But first, let me start at the beginning. I met the Fiance (so weird to say that after calling him “boyfriend” for so long) at the most unlikely of places. At a bar. I was there to celebrate a friend’s birthday and he was there hanging out with another friend. I wish I could say that I was the confident female that walked straight up to him and asked him for his number. Alas, I am still that awkward, gangly girl who couldn’t say a word to a boy without messing up twenty times. So instead my friends talked to him. I stood off to the side and couldn’t stop staring at the man in front of us. Yeah. I’m super classy. My mother would be so proud.
He offered to buy my friend a drink and then, noticed I was standing near her. And he made the right assumption that yes, I was with her even though I hadn’t said one word yet. Eventually, I broke out of my shell and actually began forming coherent sentences. Then, I happened to be standing next to him and glanced at his phone screen while he was checking the time. I immediately turned to him and said (probably more screamed because we were in a very loud bar) “Why do you have Boba Fett as your background?” (this is a Star Wars character). And apparently, that’s what stuck with him about meeting me. We continued talking and I might have dropped a Deadpool quote or two (thank you for nerdy brothers who quizzed me on my movie quotes growing up that now I can’t watch a movie without remembering a quote or two from it). And he asked for my number.
I wish I could just end it with “It was history from there”. Unfortunately, my awkward self has more to tell. On our very first date, he took me to the Vortex. Now, if you don’t know me when I get a certain kind of craving, nothing, I mean NOTHING, will stop me from eating something it or something like it. That day, I wanted Mexican. But I couldn’t say “No” on the very first date. So he picked me up and away to the Vortex we went. We were both looking very snazzy (if I do say so myself) and when we sat down to order, I could not contain my excitement when I noticed the classiest thing to eat in the world was on the menu, cheesy chili nachos. Yes. You heard that right ladies and gentlemen. On my very first date with my future husband, I ordered the messiest thing possible. And it was DELICIOUS (aka I regret nothing).
I wish I could say that I ate the nachos like the classy, southern belle my mother raised me to be. I really do. But when the food was put before us, I vaguely remember Kyle looking at his BBQ burger dripping with sauce and saying “Oh man. I’m so sorry but looks like it’s going to be a little mes…..”. And that was when he looked up and saw me, shoveling the biggest, loaded nacho chip you have ever seen into my mouth (sorry mama!). And it was already my third (when I say I wanted Mexican, I REALLY wanted Mexican). It was like that scene from Beauty and the Beast where the Beast is shoveling gruel into his mouth and Belle just sits there staring. Thankfully, my fiance, being the cool, suave man that he is, just smiled, rolled up the sleeves of his blue button-down, and proceeded to inhale his burger too (although he did it the delicate and graceful manner that makes parents proud (again REALLY sorry mama)). And from this moment, I can firmly say, it was all history from there.
Fast forward to early May 2019. Our friends invited us to the Atlanta Botanical Gardens to show their daughter one of Atlanta’s greatest sights. They knew how much it meant to us because the Fiance took me there our very first holiday season to see the Christmas Lights (I might get a little Buddy the Elf around Christmas time and thankfully I met a man who let me run all over the park staring at lights who followed right behind to make sure I didn’t trip in my heels (it happens more than you think)). I had initially agreed because it sounded like fun, and we love spending time with their family. But then, the Friday before came, and I was very OVERWHELMED. I was smack dab in the middle of my busiest wedding season to date and I hadn’t cleaned my home in two months. So, after mulling it over for a bit, I thought I would put my big girl britches on and bail. Yep. I tried to bail on my own proposal. I thought I would be a healthy person by putting my to-do list before my social time so that I could feel like I had accomplished what I needed to do. Yeah, it didn’t go over so well, and I started to suspect something was up. First clue? I texted all of them to cancel, and NO ONE responded. I knew something was up because these two ALWAYS respond quickly. Then, about 30 minutes later, the fiance calls (clue #2). He doesn’t call me at work unless its an emergency. He texts me if it’s casual since he knows I’m typically in meetings all day at the day job. He told me that I was going. No matter what. I, trying not to yell at him for trying to tell me what to do, told him that I will talk to him when I get home.
And we had our first big fight.
Yep, you heard me. We fought the night before he proposed, and we giggled the whole time (I know that’s weird to say, but I just didn’t want you to think I was throwing plates or something). We compromised and he agreed to clean the house while I got work done. Our friends came and picked us up and we went to the gardens. We arrived and started beelining for one particular area. Not kidding. I pointed out a lot of areas I wanted to go see and they kept saying “maybe later” or “maybe on our way back”. (clue #3). Then we got to an area called the “Skyline Garden”. But unfortunately, the place where you can actually see the skyline was in use by a cocktail hour for a reception. So he went with option #2. He pulled me aside. Hugged me. Said SUPER sweet things and got down on one non-broken knee. I said “yes!”.
He popped up and hugged me. We spun around to hug our friends and I saw that he had two of his friends nearby taking pictures of the whole thing. He then said he made dinner reservations for all of us and away we went.
And here is a big shout out to our friends who used their own child to trick me into going to the Botanical Gardens and our friends who stood in the bushes and behind fences to take these photos. You four are incredible and I’m so thankful to have these photos!
+ COMMENTS