Kir has been bugging me for months…I mean like 8 months to make a post on our wedding blog! Now that we’ve put our URL out to our guests, I suppose it’s storytime.
For my first story, I’ll tell you about our engagement.
While we were dating long-distance, we always discussed meeting half-way instead of having one of us drive the full 7-hours to see the other. Unfortunately, we only acted on this plan once before moving in together. We met up for a weekend of wine tasting and relaxing in Watkins Glen, and had such a blast that we decided to go back a year later.
At this point, I realized that there were a few things I truly loved in life: my family, friends, ted’s hot sauce (eating some right now), and I guess Kirsten. We had discussed engagement, and had even picked out a ring, so, she knew it was coming…but, her reaction said it was still a surprise.
Our busy lives don’t allow for a lot of vacationing, so, we drove up to Watkins Glen on a Friday night after work arriving at our bed and breakfast at about 11pm. In the morning, we enjoyed our breakfast alone without other couples, and then set out on the mission for the weekend…drinking! Okay, well, tasting…but it’s kind of like free drinking because there are so many places to try.
We pulled into our first winery just moments after an RV’s brakes went out, cutting off a truck which sent both careening into a field which neighbored the parking lot. Frankly, I thought perhaps this was a sign that today wasn’t the day for an engagement, but, I had already asked for her parent’s blessing, so I couldn’t have backed out at this point.
The rest of the day’s wine tastings were much better, and we made an attempt to spend more money on bottles of wine than I did on the engagement ring. By about 3pm, we had both consumed our fair share of wine samples, although I was still quite sober as I had to drive.
We had discussed doing some sort of hiking on this trip, and since our short weekend was already coming to a close, we made sure we found a trail. We hiked along an old canal that connected Keuka and Seneca lakes and set out for a short excursion. After wasting the opportunity to pop the question at our first stop along the canal, I knew I had to gather the courage to do it soon.
Eventually, we reached a point in the trail where we decided it was a good time to turn-around, and knowing this was my chance, I squatted on 1 knee and asked her the all-important question.
You may think she just answered yes, but instead her first response was, “Here?”
Anyway, it shouldn’t be any surprise to you that she accepted, as you wouldn’t have otherwise received our fancy save-the-date magnets!
Just as soon as we made our phone-calls to alert family members, I adopted some new nicknames for my new fiancée, most notable pre-wife and my personal favorite, ex-girlfriend. Come to think of it, I haven’t called her that in a while, I guess I’m glad I wrote this post as I wouldn’t have otherwise remembered.
More stories to come soon…