The Engagement Story...

Just for all those that never heard the story...

So I knew 'the conversation' had taken place between my Dad and Daniel on the phone over Christmas break...and I was dying to know what all had been said between them. Unfortunately, I couldn't hear everything from my upstairs bedroom...just kidding... =) Daniel called every night during the break and I tried in so many ways to try and figure out what had been said, but all to no avail. He knew exactly what I was doing and wasn't in any way going to cooperate with me...

I flew back from break a couple days early so I could spend some time with Daniel and his family before the last semester of my senior year began. I flew in late in the evening and Daniel met me at the airport with a beautiful red rose and a big smile. =) We spent the evening talking about break and exchanging our Christmas gifts...all the while I'm wondering if I'm going to get engaged before the semester started and trying desperately not to show my excitement...the evening ended quietly with plans to get up early the next morning, have breakfast and drive to Blowing Rock, NC.

The next morning (Jan 11, 2011), I got ready for the day and ate breakfast--Daniel wasn't hungry, but I knew he wasn't much of a breakfast person, so I didn't think anything of it. With some coffee for the road, we started out on our expedition. The drive was beautiful! With the snow on the ground (strange for the South) and the Blue Ridge Mountains, it was almost like being in my beloved West again...Blowing Rock was the quaintest town. Daniel and I enjoyed exploring all the little shops--the chocolate shop, the candle shop, a curiosity shop. It was a simple town, but utterly beautiful in its simplicity. Lunch time came quickly so we stayed in Blowing Rock for lunch. The food was amazingly good...at least mine was...Daniel still didn't seem very hungry...

The farther we got into the day, the more anxious Daniel seemed...but, maybe it was just the bad roads. We got back into the car and started to drive further down the Blue Ridge Parkway...until we hit the road block sign. The highway had been closed due to all the inclement weather the previous night. At that point, Daniel was showing obvious signs of stress. As we started driving back towards Blowing Rock, Daniel turned off onto a drive of a private resort nearby. We drove around and parked in the lot by the pond on the resort ground. The pond was nearly frozen, with a white gazebo on one side of it. We walked over to the pond and sat in the gazebo looking at the pond, the woods surrounding us and the sun starting to set in the distance...as we were reveling in the beauty (at least I was) we saw a beautiful white swan swimming in the only unfrozen spot in the pond. The beauty of the scene was serene and almost ethereal...

As I was standing in the gazebo leaning on the rail and watching all the beauty before me, Daniel put his hand into his pocket. As it was cold, I thought he was just trying to warm his hands up...but he pulled out a ring box, opening it and revealing the most beautiful ring! As I turned toward him, he began to propose. I stood entranced, hardly believing that this was actually happening. I had been waiting for this moment for so long, but now that it had come it was hard to believe. He said many beautiful and sweet things...but he asked me to marry him...and I said YES! =) The moment was priceless.

The remainder of the day passed in a dream. Shortly after, beginning to feel the cold, we returned to Greenville and went to California Dreaming for a wonderful dinner together...The day passed all too quickly, but it was a day that we will both forever remember.