Alright my friends, the moment of truth has arrived — Time to dish the dirt on our engagement, as promised! What, you didn't think I had forgotten, did you? Come on.
But first, some background... Mr. AiF and I have been together for over three years now, and since we courted for several months before we officially became "an item," we knew that we were it for each other from the very beginning. To drive that point home, we even talked about getting hitched on our very first date — Hey, when you know, you just know. We've shared many adventures (no pun) since that fateful first date, from moving to Edmonton and getting a place together, to rescuing Meows and everything in between, and through it all, we've somehow managed to remain best friends and, more importantly, lobbies (short for lobsters, which mate for life according to a certain 90s sitcom). So even though I knew this day was coming sooner or later, it came as a bit of a surprise anyway... Well, sort of.
It all began when Mr. AiF and I flew home to Victoria/Vancouver over the holidays to see our families, and as per tradition, my lovely friend Jen and I hit up some antique stores one rainy afternoon. One thing you need to know about Victoria is that it's ripe with antiques, particularly of the diamond ring persuasion (keep that in the backs of your minds, ladies), so naturally we felt compelled to try a couple of them on. One art deco ring in particular made my heart pitter-patter, because even though I previously had no idea what kind of ring I would someday want, I knew it was "the one" the moment I slipped it on. Funny how things like that happen, huh? Who knew that an afternoon squeal-fest over diamonds with a girlfriend would change my life in such a big way... Anyway, I snapped some pictures, cooked up some crazy scheme in which Jen nonchalantly tells Mr. AiF about my ring, and fantasized about it all day long. I thought I could play it cool, you know, pretend like nothing life changing had happened to me that day, but the moment I saw Mr. AiF I could only stand there in horror as I heard the words pour out of my mouth: "I found a ring!!!"
Being the sweet lobbie that he is, Mr. AiF asked me all kinds of details about the ring, which I happily divulged along with a photo for visual aid... Hey, I'm thorough like that. Seemingly interested, he took it all in before suddenly switching gears, saying that he couldn't afford the ring right now and that I was making him feel guilty. Let's just say that that shut me up pretty quickly. Little did I know he had already planned on buying a ring the week before, but because he had no idea what I would like, he didn't think he could pull it off! I guess my inability to keep secrets from him worked in my favour, because after my ring-induced verbal diarrhea, he called Jen for more info before covertly calling the store to put the ring on hold... What a guy.
The next few days were filled with mixed messages, from his asking me about potential wedding venues and whispering excitedly in corners with my friends, to complaining about money and about how we wouldn't be able to get engaged for a few years. His strange behaviour — as well as that of my friends and parents — made me think something was up, but because I didn't want to get my hopes up I brushed it off as no big deal.
Until Christmas Eve, that is. He told me to get dressed up because he had a special day planned (first clue). Then my mom cornered me while I was getting ready in the morning to tell me to have a great day and, I quote, "Enjoy every minute of it." (second clue). He took me to one of our favourite places in Victoria, an old castle that's now a lovely heritage site. When we got there I noticed a strange bulge in his pocket (third clue) and started to panic, thinking: 'What if he were to propose here in front of all these people — How embarrassing!' We carried on throughout the castle, and when nothing happened I reassured myself that I was crazy and just imagining things.
Then he asked if I wanted to go for a walk around the Lieutenant Governor's house, a lovely place we used to always visit and where we had our first kiss (fourth clue). But because it was such a normal suggestion for him to make, I didn't really think anything of it. We walked around the gardens, joking about old times and making future plans. He pointed to the spot where we first kissed (my heart stopped), smiled slightly (I got a little clammy) then kept on walking nonchalantly (while I cursed myself for being so stupid). Then we came to the look out. It's a lovely spot with a killer view and little plaques describing the plants and animals of the region. We used to go there and joke (in our best British accents, of course) that we were experts in fauna and flora... I know, I know. Anyway, he asked me to read them aloud to him, and after rolling my eyes and muttering my most unenthused 'Seriously?' at him, I started reading. From my peripheral view I saw him slowly bend down on one knee, and as I turned to see what was happening, he pulled out a darling vintage box (the pocket bulge!) with — Gasp! — my dream ring inside! From there it's all a blur of happiness, disbelief and tears, but believe me when I tell you that it was the single most amazing day of my life. I couldn't believe that it had actually happened, and after all the jumping and squealing subsided, we had the most amazing time visiting all the places that are meaningful to us and celebrating with loved ones... Best. Christmas. Ever.
If you managed to read this thing all the way to this point then wow, you're a trooper. If not, hey, I don't blame you. Happy Thursday, lovelies! xx
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