the proposal | wedding

herstory

Because we spend so much time apart, our time together is always precious. It's always cherished. On the weekend of August 22-24, 2014 things were no different. Dinner at sunset on Atlantic Avenue in Delray Beach on Friday night. Big breakfast at home while watching Melissa Harris-Perry on Saturday morning. A round of miniature golf at Puttin' Around later that day.

Dinner at Jazziz on Saturday night was equally special: we ate, we talked, we laughed. I was surprised when Garrett wanted to stay for dessert, though not half as surprised as when he proceeded to disappear (for what felt like forever) after he ordered! As we later made our way through our "underwhelming" dessert, I admired the beautiful pink roses the waitress brought to our table and the wonderful book Garrett presented to me documenting our love.

Everything after I saw Garrett get down on one knee is a blur! Through his tears and mine, it was hard to follow exactly what was said. All eyes in the restaurant were on us, and though we had talked about taking this next step together for quite some time, I couldn't believe it was actually happening now! Everyday Garrett makes me feel protected, valued, treasured. So, of course, I said yes!

history

Typically during my visits to Florida we eat at the jazz club/retaurant Jazziz, so I thought this would be the perfect unassuming location. Regis gave me the evil eye when I told the waitress that I wanted dessert after a nice, enjoyable dinner, because she didn't want to be late for her sorority's comedy show fundraiser in West Palm Beach. After ordering dessert, I slipped out to confirm arrangements.

When I came back to our seats, I carried a small gift bag. The first item out of the bag was a photo book. The book chronicled our time together intertwined with a narrative about the Bible's definition of love. As she perused the book, our dessert arrived, followed by a dozen pink roses with a flocked red rose in the middle. She took notice of the red rose, but I quickly brought her attention back toward the book.

As she reached the conclusion of the book, I felt a change in the atmosphere. Time slowed down. I felt a warm sense of peace as though God was looking and smiling. I called her attention back to the red rose, yanked it out the bouquet and stood up as though I was angry.

With my heart racing and back to her I took a deep breath, turned around and bowed lowly on one knee, shared a few words of adoration, and asked her to marry me!!