The Proposal Post :)

I can't thank you all enough for your kind words and congratulations on my last post. Brian and I really feel so blessed. Here is the whole story about how we got engaged...it might get a bit wordy, but I mainly have my blog to help me remember important events in my life. This moment definitely was one of the biggest!

The last two days of our California vacation were spent at the Inn at Sunset Cliffs in Point Loma, right on the Pacific Ocean. Sunsets are definitely one of our things, and I was really looking forward to this last stop on our vacation. Brian told me that he decided in March when we started planning and booking our vacation that it would be the perfect place to propose.

 A bench at the Inn

Although we had talked about marriage and getting engaged sometime this year, on vacation, it was definitely far from my mind! Besides the fact that we had done a million things and were having a lot of fun (so my brain was on other things), I also thought Brian was a little too nervous to carry an engagement ring through security in the airport a handful of times (once, they even went through the backpack the ring was in...I'm sure he was shaking in his shoes!)

 The courtyard of the Inn

Our room was on the bottom floor,  the last one on the right!

That's why, when Brian suggested we get dressed up and go out for a nice dinner for one of our last nights of vacation, I didn't really think anything of it. It was close to our 2-year anniversary and the trip was obviously our main celebration. I figured it was kind of an early anniversary dinner. We headed over to Coronado and had a delicious Italian dinner at La Terrazza.

When we got back to our hotel, we headed back to the room and I was feeling kind of exhausted. Brian went to see if the fire pit was lit so we could sit outside and make some s'mores (so I thought...little did I know, he had already conspired with someone who worked at the Inn, who was prepared to take pictures for us, and Brian was delivering him the camera). I laid down on the bed and said something about how I was going to change into my pajamas. The main attraction of our hotel was the beautiful sunset views, but it was really cloudy that night.  It didn't seem worth it to rush outside, but Brian talked me into staying dressed and coming out to the terrace to watch the sunset, even though it was cloudy (I'm so glad he was convincing, especially since there are pictures of it!)

Where we got engaged

He turned around a bench for us to sit on facing the water, and we sat for a couple of minutes before Brian started talking, was suddenly down on his knee, and was asking me to marry him! My first reaction was, "Oh my gosh, are you kidding?" I actually said it out loud, which apparently threw Brian off a bit. I covered my face with my hands and started to cry, hugged Brian (while he was still holding the ring behind my back and trying not to drop it into the ocean) while continuing to cry, and then finally pulled away from him and said...YES, of course! and he put the (BEAUTIFUL) ring on my finger.

Brian is still holding the ring behind my back in this picture :)

I realized at some point that there was a camera flashing, but there were other people on the terrace, so I just kind of ignored it and assumed someone random was taking our picture. When we got up from the bench, Brian thanked the guy from the Inn and explained that he had set the whole thing up in advance! Later, the 'photographer' gave us a bottle of wine to celebrate. He was SO nice! :)

Right after the proposal!

Obviously, the most exciting part of our engagement is the fact that I get to marry my best friend in the entire universe!!!...but the gorgeous ring Brian gave me is definitely the icing on the cake. It is a cathedral set round diamond with pavé diamonds around the band...and I absolutely LOVE it. It couldn't be more perfect for me. When Brian visited the jeweler, he spent hours looking at loose diamonds, and then couldn't find a setting he liked. He eventually sketched out a design of what he was looking for with the master jeweler, and the ring was created especially for me...it is one of a kind! Brian got to see several wax carvings of the setting, the creation of a mold, and the ring in various stages of being made. I think it is so cool that my ring was made just for me...and that the jeweler, Vic, will create a wedding band to fit it perfectly. :)

My ring :)

After the engagement, we were obviously too excited to head to bed! Because of the time difference, it was difficult to tell everyone we wanted to about our engagement. I did get to call my mom and a handful of my closest friends to tell them the super exciting news. After that, my mom posted it on Facebook and then (practically) the whole world knew! After the phone calls, we headed back to Coronado for a couple of celebratory drinks at the Hotel Del...too expensive for a regular day, but perfect for the day we got engaged! As it turns out, the woman at the table beside us had paid for our drinks without ever saying a word to us, and was gone before we could even thank her!

Drinks at the Del

That night, I couldn't sleep...I was up every couple of hours, nudging Brian, looking at my pretty ring, and doing a little celebration dance! I have to say that the day we got engaged was the best day of my life so far...I feel so blessed that I get to share my life with such an incredible person. I didn't think it was possible, but being engaged has definitely brought us closer and made our love for each other deeper.

If you stuck with me for this entire post, you deserve some kind of award. Thanks again for all of your congratulations! :)