It was August 26, 2011. We went to the Star Brewery in Dubuque for supper. I picked this location because Stef loves the view of the Mississippi and this restaurant sits right on the banks of the river. I was so nervous that night because I didn’t know where to hide the ring. The box was too bulky in my pocket and I didn’t know where else to hide the ring that I was going to propose with. I ended up hiding it in my car, but then I didn’t know how to get it.
Well…we were eating and I thought, I should tell her that my contacts are bothering me so I can go to the car and get the ring. I told her my contacts were bothering me so I was going to go to the bathroom to fix them. I went to the car at that time and got the ring and then went back in to the restaurant; then I turned to the bathroom to wipe the large amount of sweat from my face. I hid the ring box in my shirt and that worked really well. I went back to the table to get a picture taken with Stef, and then we went to the river walk.
The river was beautiful that night. It was calming to hear the sounds of the river. The whole time while we were walking, I was rehearsing what to say in my head. We made it to the small, sandy beach by the gazebo and I thought, yes, this is it. Fighting with myself, I then thought No, not yet. It wasn’t right on the sandy beach. I saw the gazebo all lit up in the dark of the night and thought this is perfect. I saw the lit up bridge in the background and a boat or two floating along the Mississippi. We stood there and talked a little bit and I waited until the couple behind us walked past us so we could be completely alone. Stef continued to talk; she was really enjoying the beauty of the river and of the night in general. I saw her look away, towards the river; I felt the butterflies form in my stomach for the second time in my life…it felt so good. I wiped my nervous, shaky hands, and then grabbed the box from my shirt. I looked at the box and said a quick prayer Please be in the box. I got down on one knee just as Stef turned toward me and when she looked, my heart jumped. She dropped her camera instantly. I looked into her eyes and she turned red and began to cover her eyes. She was shaking, I could tell. I got the words in my head but I only got out half of what I wanted to say as I opened the box, I said, “Stefanie Brooks, will you marry me?” and then I froze. It was total silence, I was thinking Please say yes, please say something. The moment seemed to last forever!
Finally, she said “YES!” I could breathe again! I slid the ring onto her ring finger, it was a perfect fit. I stood up and we just held each other close. I thought why couldn’t I say all of what I had planned? Then I eventually told her what I really wanted to say: Stefanie Brooks will you marry me and spend the rest of your life with me. Will you be my soul mate forever and always?
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