Let's go back

...back to when FI proposed. WARNING: This is long.

FI had planned a birthday trip for me for the weekend of June 30, 2007; my actual birthday is on June 25th. I received a phone call from Mom the Friday night before leaving. She says that FI called the house and asked to talk to dad in a very excited tone. Now FI talking to my dad isn't unusual as we live very close to my parents, used to live with them, and FI has a key to the house, and we come over every week. Anyways...Mom sounds really excited, and it clicks in my head what he could possibly want to talk to Dad about, & then I tell my mom that if she's ruining something for me, I will be so mad!

We go to the 'rents house Friday night to hang out a little bit. FI asks me if I had asked my dad to check my oil yet, and I say no, and he says that he'll go and tell my dad. It's clear to me now what he was up to...but not so much at the time.

We head back to our apartment, and our roommate (who introduced FI and I to each other 6 years earlier) and her boyfriend are there. We chat for a while. They know we're heading out on a trip, and the boyfriend asks where we're headed, and I tell him I have no idea, that it's a surprise. I find out that the roommate and her boyfriend are also going on a trip, and I ask where. The boyfriend was about to answer, but stops short of saying something. I find out later that our roommate was signaling to her boyfriend "don't say anything" from behind my back. And that was Friday night.

So Saturday morning rolls along. We have to leave very early! 7:00am. So we're ready to go; I have no idea where we're going or what we're doing. FI says we need to make a stop, and now we're picking up my BFF, and i think...oh, three’s a crowd...that's not romantic. So now thoughts of a possible proposal vanish b/c I only imagine that when he proposes, it would be just the 2 of us. And girls...some of you have been through this: picturing that special moment, expecting it & expecting it, & then boom...it doesn't happen. So you don't want to put yourself in that kind of agony ever again b/c it totally sucks! Right? Right. So you make yourself forget about that. And the idea of him proposing is now gone.

We drive from the OC up the 101 for forever! Still no idea where we're going...just the 3 of us: Me, FI, & BFF. We finally end up in Templeton at this bed & breakfast, and BFF's boyfriend, who is from nor cal, is waiting for us there. And then not more than 5 minutes, our roommate and her boyfriend shortly arrive. 3 couples! Yay! and then I find out from our hostess (who didn't know this was all supposed to be a surprise) that we're taking a limo tour around Paso Robles wine country.

First, we visit Eberle, then Meridian, then San Marcos Creek (where there were peacocks on the estate; I think he tried to propose here, but we were interrupted by our friends), then Pipestone (an organic winery), and then last but not least Castoro.

So at Castoro, FI said he wanted to take pictures outside, so we go out into the vineyard, just the 2 of us. He starts to say “you know I didn’t bring you up here just for your birthday..." And from what I can remember, he also says "I love you so much. You know...you've made me the luckiest guy in the world. And I want to make a commitment to you.” My eyes have welled up with tears, and I start to sob; I put my hands over my mouth. He gets down on one knee and asks me to marry him. It takes me a while because I can't find my breath, but I say yes! And we hug and kiss.

He tells me our friends had no idea that FI had planned this all along! So we try to think of some clever way to tell them, but at the first sight of my girlfriends, I start crying happy tears of joy only able to show my engagement ring.


As you can see in the picture, it was very emotional for me...even knowing that he was going to propose. And that's our engagement story!

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