our love story

There were a few times I thought that JP was going to propose. JP and I began talking about marriage after a year of dating. Over the past couple years we have taken a few big trips, so everyone, including myself, thought it was going to happen when we went to Mexico in April (after almost two and a half years of dating). After a couple of drinks on our first day there, JP worked up the courage to ask me...if I wanted to go ring shopping when we got home. He prefaced the conversation with, "I have to ask you something," but after seeing my eyes get huge, said, "I'm not proposing." So then I knew it wasn't going to happen on that trip. We didn't have any phone connection or wifi for most of our vacation, so everyone had to wait until we got home to find out that it didn't happen.

After picking out a ring the weekend after we got home, I then had to wait what seemed like forever. The second time I thought JP was going to propose was when we took a long weekend trip to Chicago. We were going to see Hamilton, which we had been wanting to see for a long time. We had been listening to the soundtrack, and knew all of the words. The night before we left, JP told me that he wasn't going to propose, because the ring was still not ready. This was the truth, but I thought MAYBE he was trying to fool me, so that I would be surprised when it happened. Even though I asked him if he was trying to trick me, and he said no, I was still convinced it was happening. JP's original plan was to propose during this weekend, and the ring did become available the day after we left.

I was able to figure out that JP was going to propose when he got very specific about plans to go on a walk. We love to walk our dog together, because it gives us time to just talk to one another after a long day, but we don't normally plan them out days in advance. However, that Friday happened to be Friday the 13th, and I'm not very superstitious, but I've taught on enough full moons, and Friday the 13ths to know they never go to plan, so I started dropping hints that Friday the 13th is the worst day ever. JP was not to be deterred though, and had a plan and a speech all planned out. But, then we tried a new restaurant in town, and it was awful, and JP decided that could not be the night it happened. For the next day and a half JP insisted that we go for a walk that Sunday night, which happened to be one of the hottest, and most humid nights of the summer. We had just finished eating dinner, and sharing a bottle of wine when JP insisted once again that we go for our walk. I needed a minute to digest. JP however, ran upstairs to grab the ring and get ready. Our dog has a harness that has pockets on the side (we call them her saddlebags) and he hid the ring inside. We went to a special trail near our house, that we had been wanting to try. We didn't make it very far into the walk when JP got down to "fix Rama's harness." He grabbed the ring, and on one knee asked me to marry him. I said yes, and asked him "why would you wanna marry me for anyhow?" Which he responded "so I can kiss you anytime I want." It's from Sweet Home Alabama, and we say it to one another all the time. I had been waiting to say it to him when he asked me. After JP proposed we continued on our walk, and enjoyed being together before calling our families to share the news. My favorite part is that he told me he had had a talk with our dog that morning about how she was going to help him ask me to marry him by being our ring bearer.