Engaged!
Some background: My significant other, Allen & I have been dating for around two years. We both went to university together & finished our undergrad degrees, he is currently working as an engineer & I’m in my first year of medical school. Due to the timeline of my medical training, we had both discussed when we wanted to get married, which is before I start clerkship (3rd year) & residency, which are very long hospital hours.
On Sunday, Allen said he was taking me somewhere special as I will be in mad studying mode for the next three weeks during my exam period. I agreed, but it turns out it was snowing so hard, and I was worried he wasn’t going to be able to make it to my place. He insisted though, and came and picked me up in the afternoon.
In the car, he had a pair of gloves & a pair of mittens, and a teddy bear that said “Grouse Mountain - The Peak of Vancouver” on his shirt. This was a giveaway to where we were going of course, but he knows how much I love stuffed animals.
We drove carefully up to the mountain in the snow, and took the gondola up to the top of the mountain. It was absolutely beautiful - white powdery snow and snow-topped trees. As it was still snowing hard, he bought me a toque @ the gift shop. We then went ice skating at the outdoor rink; thankfully neither of us took any spills!
We wandered around, visited Santa Claus just for fun (and to make a donation) and checked out the various Christmas trees at the lodge.
We then went to the beautiful restaurant that looks over the mountain - the Observatory. Waiting for me was a dozen of the largest, longest stemmed roses I had ever seen - red, my favourite. We had a nice quiet meal, and I was wondering what was up.
After dinner, we went for a walk, to a point that outlooks the mountain & the city below. He hugged me tightly and told me how much he loved me. He then got on one knee, took the ring out from his pocket and asked “will you marry me?” I said yes, and we shared a kiss overlooking the mountain.
The ring is just what I wanted - a solitaire, white gold, and most importantly, a Canadian (conflict-free) diamond. I love it, and I am so excited that I will be spending the rest of my life with him. We are hoping to set a date for early spring/summer of 2009 to give us lots of time to plan amidst our busy schedules.
With my promise ring