One Year Ago: The Placing of the Pearl

It's been one year today since the pearl landed on my left-hand ring finger. For those of you who are interested and may not have heard, here is the story:

(Disclaimer: The dates in this story may not be 100% accurate)

November 29th 2010-- In the car

B:  When we go to D.C. over Christmas break, wouldn't it be fun if my parents come with us? It'd be fun to spend some time with them, don't you think?

D:  Uuuhhhmmm... I mean, I think it would be more fun if we went by ourselves.

B: What? Why? 

D: I dunno... I just figured, it's our first time in D.C. together and I thought it would be more special if it was just you and I.

B: What?! More special? Why don't you want to let my parents come?! You don't want to get to know my parents do you? 

D:  No, I do want to get to know your parents. Yeah, you're right. They should come.

December, 10th 2010 -- Sitting in the living room of my apartment in Provo

B: Wouldn't it be fun if my whole family could come to D.C. with us? A family day trip with my siblings too.

D: Wait, I thought that just your parents were coming...

B: Yeah, that's what we talked about, but what if we figured out a day when we could ALL go together, you know, with my siblings too.

D: That's a lot of people.

B (irritation showing in her voice): Why don't you want to hang out with my family? We're flying out to PA to be with them you know, not just so that us 2 can go off and be by ourselves.  

D: I know. I just, your whole family...

B: I don't get it, why don't you want to hang out together?

D: No, it's fine. Yeah, let's go with your whole family.

B (realization setting in): Oohhh... you were gonna propose in D.C. weren't you?

D: No. Of course not.

B: That's why you don't want my family to come. I get it.

D: Whatever, I wasn't going to propose there.

B: Yes you were. Why else would you not want them to come? You were going to propose in D.C. Weren't you?

D (not being able to contain himself any longer): So what if I was! So what if I was going to propose in D.C.!

SILENCE

After that I felt like a complete idiot for ruining the surprise and told him he could still do it there and he said no, that he couldn't because I knew about it. I got really sad and felt like I had ruined the perfect proposal in the capitol city, and I guess that's because I had. It haunted my dreams, I quit my job and stayed at home crying in bed while Darin comforted me with ramen noodles and episodes of Psych (okay, it wasn't to that extreme, but I was pretty upset at myself).

December, 23 2010 -- Washington D.C 

We hadn't talked much about the previous conversation or where and when the proposal would happen. I fully avoided the topic. I still expected it to happen over break, while visiting my family and since we hadn't talked about it in a few weeks I thought that perhaps he could still be planning on doing it in D.C., but was trying to make me think that he wasn't. In fact, I became absolutely POSITIVE that he was still going to propose in D.C. 

I was thinking about it the entire day. When? Where? I watched him very closely as we went through security in the museums to see if he acted as though he was hiding something, NOTHING. At dinner we started talking about what we wanted to do for the rest of the night. We were getting tired but we hadn't been to the memorials yet. That's it. That's where he was going to propose, I was certain of it, UNTIL he started talking about how tired he was and turned it all on me.

D: Do you still want to go to the memorials?

B: Of course I do! You don't?

D: Yeah, I guess we can go. Yeah, I don't mind going, I'm just getting tired.

And that's when the doubt began to build. What if he's not going to propose? Maybe he was being honest in saying that he wouldn't propose in D.C. because I ruined the surprise.  So there I was, being torn to pieces on the inside, wishing that I could just be a fiancee already.

While walking toward the Lincoln Memorial, clear sky, full moon, total romance:

D: Man, this would have been the perfect night for a proposal. 

B: WHAT!? You really aren't going to propose to me?

D: Of course not. I told you I couldn't do it here anymore.

I was NOT a happy camper. I had been looking forward to the proposal ALL day. How could I have been wrong? I felt it coming, but I was wrong.  I didn't hold his hand. I didn't talk. I just whipped out my camera and began taking pictures of anything and everything. I get slightly embarrassed telling this story because it makes me sound like an emotional 15 year old, which is how I was acting. I don't know why it was so emotional for me, but I guess that's what love does to a girl....aaaaaaaa....

While taking a picture of the Washington Monument and the moon:

D: Brillante.

B (irritated): What?

D: Brillante.

B: What!?--(still take pictures of the  Monument, sure had a lot of those to go through and delete)

D: Turn around.

As soon as he said it I knew I had proven my idiocy again and felt that same embarrassed feeling come over me. I turned around slowly and there he was, bent down on one knee with the pearly white extended toward me. You know the rest :).

One of the many pictures I took while trying to distract myself from reality

My FIANCEE at the proposal spot

Yo at the proposal location

How was he so ridiculously patient with me throughout all of this? I do not know. It still amazes me that he didn't just take the ring back and tell me we were through, but that's my Darin. He loved me then and he loves me now, and that I do know.