This past Saturday morning I had some errands to run & then thought I'd hit a few yard sales since the weather was nice & it was something to do other than cleaning the house :b Bill usually likes to go to the yard sales with me, but he said he just wanted to be lazy & would meet up with me for lunch. So, I went roaming around town until close to lunch time. I asked Bill where he wanted to meet me for lunch & he said he had an idea for us that he used to do with his mom all the time.
{For those of you who don't know, Bill lost his mother to cancer in 2000 and they were very close. I'm always happy to do things with Bill that he did with his mom or that remind him of his mom because I know that it's something very dear to him that he wouldn't share with just anybody. I always feel very honored when he chooses to share those memories with me.}
Bill had me pick up some sandwiches and meet him on what is now the Knoxville Zoo grounds. They have a park on the grounds that is used to host many events throughout the year, however, I had never been to this part of the park. There is a huge gazebo there that is over 100 years old and is made of stone and marble. It's really beautiful! It overlooks a couple of ponds that have fountains in the middle and it's surrounded by beautiful, mature trees that tower over the area. When I got there, Bill had set up a picnic area on the steps of the gazebo & told me how his mother loved to have improptu picnics with him on those same steps when he was younger. He told me some of the history of the park that his mother had told him. The weather was perfect & we took our time eating and talking and enjoying the day. When we finished eating, Bill took my hand and led me to the other side of the gazebo that overlooked the ponds. I almost didn't see the ring that was placed on the marble railing. It was there the entire time & I had no idea! When I saw it, I was shocked! I could tell Bill was nervous now. He asked me if I would marry him and, of course, I said yes! I cried, which surprised me. We had been talking about getting married for some time and had already started making wedding plans, but when he asked in that moment I was a little overwhelmed. I thought of all the ups & downs we'd had over the years and how there is no one else in the world that I wanted to share my future ups & downs with. Bill is my best friend and it feels amazing to know that he wants to spend the rest of his life with me too :)
Well, there you have it! I'm incredibly happy and have been SO blessed!! I have amazing friends and family who support me no matter what and a fiance (yay!) that makes me feel beautiful, smart, funny, strong, etc.! I'm so glad I get to share these moments with whoever is reading this!
I'm proud of Bill's creativity.
ReplyDeleteLOVE it! :)
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