It's a Miracle: The Engagement Story

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- I already knew the weekend of June 9 was going to be a great weekend.  Isaac was coming to D.C. for a visit. But this time, he was going to be here for a whopping FOUR days.  Our visits usually only lasted for 2 or 3 days max, so this put me over the moon. It's rough being working adults... 


Isaac arrived to D.C. Saturday morning on the red eye. That night we had plans to eat at the restaurant where we had our first date. Not for any sentimental reason, in my mind, but simply because I had a Groupon for it. So, that evening we headed that way. I took a few wrong turns en route, and it made Isaac uncomfortable, for reasons I would discover later. He acted so strange and squirmy in the passenger seat, and I'd never seen him act that way before. I thought my driving was making him nervous. He kept saying, "Let's just go somewhere else."  And I would snap back with, "No way, I have a GROUPON!"   


After dinner, Isaac declared he was taking the reigns and making the plans, which is normally my job when he comes to D.C.  He said he thought we should go to Gravelly Point -- one of my favorite parks in D.C., where you can watch the airplanes land at Reagan National Airport. I'd been there with him before several times, including on one of our first dates.  So, we headed that way, and as we turned into the park, we noticed it was incredibly crowded. People were everywhere. This is typical for a nice evening in D.C., but Isaac had never seen it this crowded before and his eyes got really big.


I was first tipped off as to what was happening as we got out of the car. Isaac, who had a nasty cold all week, informed me he was bringing his backpack with us. You know, just in case he needed a kleenex or a water bottle. I told him I could put it in my purse, but that was unacceptable.  So, off we went, with Isaac's backpack in tow.  


We made our way up the path, away from the crowd, to a pretty, isolated bank of grass right along the Potomac River, overlooking all the monuments, with the sun setting perfectly behind us. Isaac had timed it just right. And thousands of fireflies were dancing in the grass all around us. These creatures don't exist on the West Coast, and Isaac described it as looking like a Disney movie. 

So, here we were, enjoying our Disney movie setting. And soon he started saying really nice, sweet things to me. At that point I was completely aware of what was about to happen, though I didn't think it was possible that he had already gotten a ring. But soon, he declared that he had a present for me. He reached into his backpack, and pulled out a pretty little box. I believe I yelped, "How did you get that already?!"  And he opened the box, revealing the prettiest rose gold diamond ring I had ever seen. I immediately shouted, "YES!" And pulled him off the ground. 

And that's how it happened. 

At Gravelly Point, soon after Isaac proposed

So, while some may say it's a miracle both Isaac and I are finally getting married, I'd have to say that I never doubted it would happen whenever it was supposed to happen, though frustrating moments certainly took their course. It's more a miracle that the stars aligned for us this way. As I stated here, it's a miracle in the sense that two people end up liking each other at the exact same time. And it's a miracle that two people can actually make it work. And it's certainly a miracle that we crossed paths again, living on opposite ends of the country, after we had known each other for so long.  

Isaac is such an incredible, loving, worthy, honorable, hard working, sweet, respectable guy. There may have been a time or two that I didn't think it was possible such a single man still existed. But it's as if I had been praying (and maybe I was) for God to send me the best single guy he could find me. And He did. He's a good one. ;) I'm so excited to marry him. 

The day after we got engaged and shared the news

We'll be tying the knot on October 20 in Draper, Utah. We'd love to see you there.

A rainy day in D.C. a few days after we got engaged