The One that is like an Episode of Friends

Several of you seemed to enjoy the beginning of my engagement story, so I thought I'd share with you the rest of the story.

I was a junior in college, and The Big Guy and I had met the previous summer at the summer camp where I worked (He was on the board of directors. Technically he was my boss. It was a little too late by the time we realized this). It was February when his house burned. I think it was March when I came down with Mono, and April when he did. He managed to pass out a convention, and ended up in the hospital. He took several weeks off of work, and stayed for a time with his parents. He and his dad went shopping for what would be my engagement ring (of course, I didn't know that part of the story).

The Big Guy came out and stayed with me for a long weekend. It was May 12, a Saturday, I believe, and we spent the afternoon shopping for new clothes for him (as he had lost everything in the fire). We ate dinner at a Ruby Tuesday's and then shopped around the mall. At dinner I was cold, and asked to wear his jacket. He was reluctant to give it to me, wondering why I hadn't brought a sweater as he had suggested earlier. I didn't get his reluctance. Turns out the ring was in the pocket (and yes, yes, I know this happened on an episode of Friends many years after it happened to me in my real life. I should have copyrighted it!) We walked all around the mall, me wearing that jacket, and The Big Guy terrified to let go of my hand. I couldn't figure out why I couldn't go look at something on the other side of the store, but he kept me right by his side. He assumed I had found the ring, and was very nervous about it.

We then went and saw a play on campus (Nine) and then he asked me to go for a walk on the beach of Lake Michigan. We have a wee bit of history on that beach, as before we were dating he had to rescue my drunken self from a lifeguard chair I had climbed up but couldn't figure out how to climb back down.

I, however, thought it was too chilly out and wanted to go back to my apartment for a jacket before the walk. Reluctantly, he agreed. Once inside my cozy home I didn't feel like going back out. Can you imagine the frustration he was feeling by this point? Regardless, he forged ahead. We were sitting on my bed, talking, and suddenly he was down on one knee asking me if I knew that he loved me. I quickly figured out what was going on and felt so badly that I had ruined his plans. The beach would have been the perfect spot for such a proposal!

But as it turns out the situation was perfect. Because, as he will tell you, I've been ruining his surprises ever since.