Amy and I are engaged!
I've known I wanted to marry Amy for months, though we've only been dating for six. (For my readers who don't know us personally, Amy and I went to high school together and were tangential friends who liked and respected one another, but really didn't know one another. We didn't seen each other for fifteen years before being reunited almost by chance at a mutual friend's house, where we both felt the universe shift the moment we locked eyes. Ok! Back to the proposal story!)
Like I said, I've known I wanted to marry Amy for months, the only hold-up being finding the right ring. Amy had mentioned a love of estate jewelry and old cut diamonds where the cuts aren't as sharp as diamonds today (the brilliance being more subtle and muted). I checked out a few estate jewelry stores here in Louisville and was intimidated by the $20,000-$100,000 prices. I started looking online for options and, for the longest time, the only rings in my price range were kinda hideous. Then one day, in the midst of opening twenty some odd tabs in my browser, I chanced upon the ring that made me stop and think, "That's the one." I ordered it, and when it arrived I was stunned: for once, the pictures simply don't do it justice.
I had intended to wait until Thanksgiving when Amy has time off work. I was going to propose then whisk her away on some tropical vacation so we could celebrate for a week, just the two of us. Then my hospital adventure happened this past Wednesday and I just couldn't wait any longer. We'd both already lost so much time by not being together, and we both knew how we felt. It was time.
I went into the evening (Saturday the 20th) with only a vague plan (which is always the best way for me to work). We had reservations at Proof on Main at 10PM because the Ryder Cup was still going on in Louisville and that was the only time available for us to have dinner (I told her we just needed to go out and have a proper date and celebrate the fact that we were together and relatively healthy... and ignore the ring box shaped bulge in my pocket). The place was packed, and wonderful as always (Amy had the Amish Chicken, I had the Spaghetti Lobster, we started with a beef tartare, and ended with her having sea salt caramel gelato and my paring a scoop of the limoncello gelato with a chocolate souffle-like thing). The place was crawling with golf fans and players from around the world (NBC Sports was having a private shindig downstairs). When we finished, we walked outside and found about fifty revelers on the corner of 7th and main drinking and enjoying the beautiful weather at nearly-midnight.
There's a grande chandelier hanging at that corner, and we paused under it to kiss. I said into her ear, "You still want to marry me?" to which she replied yes she did, and we kissed again. I said, "You're sure?" and when she told me of course, I dropped to one knee before her and opened the ring box and said, "Will you marry me?" The entire corner went silent, Amy started shaking and crying and then, after what seemed like a thousand years, she started nodding vigorously and holding her arms out to me. As I stood up the block erupted in cheers and applause. My memory gets a little jumbled after that. People were pounding me on the back, shaking my hand and kissing Amy on the cheek, congratulating us both. A group of drunken Scotsmen sang, "For He's a Jolly Good Fellow", and a pair of Brown Forman representatives came out and gave us a bottle of champagne, which they opened and poured into two glasses. One man told us in a drunken burr to never take one another for granted: "I was married twenty-five years'n I took'er for granted and she leff me. NEVER take each other for granted!" People were taking pictures of us (one woman got my email address so she can forward them), talking about us, talking to us... it was overwhelming and amazing. Amy eventually looked at the ring, having given it only a cursory glance earlier, and loved it. She alternated between laughing, crying, and hyperventilating for then next three hours. We listened to Kate Nash on the way home, and were extremely happy and glowy despite (and sometimes because of) the crying and hyperventilating.
On Sunday we had brunch with an old friend of Amy's and her husband, and she was delighted with the news. Brunch (at the Bristol Downtown, a block from the site of the proposal) was great and we all resolved to do it again in the near future. Amy then went to her sister's house and I went to a band meeting in which we basically fired our drummer. More on that later. I hooked up with Amy and was all but tackle-hugged by my nephews-to-be and in-laws. Amy's sister and brother-in-law were ecstatic, and when her parents arrived there was a whoop and a scream when the ring was revealed. Kisses and hugs all around. Much more food ensued. (The entire family was there for a dual birthday party for Amy's father and nephew... in case you were wondering.) We left after a while to meet up with my parents for dinner. I had called my mother after the band meeting to tell her the news and she was very positive (she doesn't always react well to surprises, so I wanted to tell her in advance). She was happy for me and Amy, and asked me to email my father (who is deaf and communicates via email on his smart-ish-phone). I hadn't heard from him and didn't know what he thought until he arrived at the restaurant. They were thrilled, though a bit reserved because I'd been so badly treated by my ex-wife for so long. My mother later said that she doesn't want to see me hurt, but neither does she want to focus on the negative when Amy is so wonderful and kind and good to and for me.
We don't know when the wedding will be, though we do know the ceremony itself is going to be small with the majority of people invited to the reception for the pah-tay. I'll keep you updated and informed as things progress.
All I can say is that I'm stupidly incandescently obnoxiously happy.
I've known I wanted to marry Amy for months, though we've only been dating for six. (For my readers who don't know us personally, Amy and I went to high school together and were tangential friends who liked and respected one another, but really didn't know one another. We didn't seen each other for fifteen years before being reunited almost by chance at a mutual friend's house, where we both felt the universe shift the moment we locked eyes. Ok! Back to the proposal story!)
Like I said, I've known I wanted to marry Amy for months, the only hold-up being finding the right ring. Amy had mentioned a love of estate jewelry and old cut diamonds where the cuts aren't as sharp as diamonds today (the brilliance being more subtle and muted). I checked out a few estate jewelry stores here in Louisville and was intimidated by the $20,000-$100,000 prices. I started looking online for options and, for the longest time, the only rings in my price range were kinda hideous. Then one day, in the midst of opening twenty some odd tabs in my browser, I chanced upon the ring that made me stop and think, "That's the one." I ordered it, and when it arrived I was stunned: for once, the pictures simply don't do it justice.
I had intended to wait until Thanksgiving when Amy has time off work. I was going to propose then whisk her away on some tropical vacation so we could celebrate for a week, just the two of us. Then my hospital adventure happened this past Wednesday and I just couldn't wait any longer. We'd both already lost so much time by not being together, and we both knew how we felt. It was time.
I went into the evening (Saturday the 20th) with only a vague plan (which is always the best way for me to work). We had reservations at Proof on Main at 10PM because the Ryder Cup was still going on in Louisville and that was the only time available for us to have dinner (I told her we just needed to go out and have a proper date and celebrate the fact that we were together and relatively healthy... and ignore the ring box shaped bulge in my pocket). The place was packed, and wonderful as always (Amy had the Amish Chicken, I had the Spaghetti Lobster, we started with a beef tartare, and ended with her having sea salt caramel gelato and my paring a scoop of the limoncello gelato with a chocolate souffle-like thing). The place was crawling with golf fans and players from around the world (NBC Sports was having a private shindig downstairs). When we finished, we walked outside and found about fifty revelers on the corner of 7th and main drinking and enjoying the beautiful weather at nearly-midnight.
There's a grande chandelier hanging at that corner, and we paused under it to kiss. I said into her ear, "You still want to marry me?" to which she replied yes she did, and we kissed again. I said, "You're sure?" and when she told me of course, I dropped to one knee before her and opened the ring box and said, "Will you marry me?" The entire corner went silent, Amy started shaking and crying and then, after what seemed like a thousand years, she started nodding vigorously and holding her arms out to me. As I stood up the block erupted in cheers and applause. My memory gets a little jumbled after that. People were pounding me on the back, shaking my hand and kissing Amy on the cheek, congratulating us both. A group of drunken Scotsmen sang, "For He's a Jolly Good Fellow", and a pair of Brown Forman representatives came out and gave us a bottle of champagne, which they opened and poured into two glasses. One man told us in a drunken burr to never take one another for granted: "I was married twenty-five years'n I took'er for granted and she leff me. NEVER take each other for granted!" People were taking pictures of us (one woman got my email address so she can forward them), talking about us, talking to us... it was overwhelming and amazing. Amy eventually looked at the ring, having given it only a cursory glance earlier, and loved it. She alternated between laughing, crying, and hyperventilating for then next three hours. We listened to Kate Nash on the way home, and were extremely happy and glowy despite (and sometimes because of) the crying and hyperventilating.
On Sunday we had brunch with an old friend of Amy's and her husband, and she was delighted with the news. Brunch (at the Bristol Downtown, a block from the site of the proposal) was great and we all resolved to do it again in the near future. Amy then went to her sister's house and I went to a band meeting in which we basically fired our drummer. More on that later. I hooked up with Amy and was all but tackle-hugged by my nephews-to-be and in-laws. Amy's sister and brother-in-law were ecstatic, and when her parents arrived there was a whoop and a scream when the ring was revealed. Kisses and hugs all around. Much more food ensued. (The entire family was there for a dual birthday party for Amy's father and nephew... in case you were wondering.) We left after a while to meet up with my parents for dinner. I had called my mother after the band meeting to tell her the news and she was very positive (she doesn't always react well to surprises, so I wanted to tell her in advance). She was happy for me and Amy, and asked me to email my father (who is deaf and communicates via email on his smart-ish-phone). I hadn't heard from him and didn't know what he thought until he arrived at the restaurant. They were thrilled, though a bit reserved because I'd been so badly treated by my ex-wife for so long. My mother later said that she doesn't want to see me hurt, but neither does she want to focus on the negative when Amy is so wonderful and kind and good to and for me.
We don't know when the wedding will be, though we do know the ceremony itself is going to be small with the majority of people invited to the reception for the pah-tay. I'll keep you updated and informed as things progress.
All I can say is that I'm stupidly incandescently obnoxiously happy.
That is so incredibly sweet, I love reading of other peoples happiness. That brought a tear to my eye, not enough people are so deeply committed in love these days.
I wish you both all of the joy in the world.
xo