A 3 Year Old Ring

A few years ago on January 26, it was raining. It was cold and blustery. I remember wanting to wear a dress to a combined birthday party for my husband and nephew.  However due to the rain, I had to wear jeans & a coral sweater. I was frustrated, but #life.
I remember showing up and being disappointing that it wasn't a surprise engagement party. I remember my friend said " Not everything is about you."

The party was fun! If you know the Tillery's you know they go big for parties! Catered food, a live band, heck even a photographer to capture every bite of cake my nephew puts in his mouth. The rain had kept most of us inside, or inside my father in law's wine cave. Yes, you read right, he has a cave full of wine- of course there are other things, but mostly wine. The sun had begun peeking through the clouds in the later part of the afternoon, and my mom and dad decided to head home so they could miss the next onset of rain and make it home safe. I said goodbye to them, and Jonny asked if I wanted to go watch the sunset from a top the cave. Most women will say they notice their boyfriends acting funny, or nervous when they are about to propose. Jonny didn't really have any of that, so to me we were just heading to watch the sunset.
There were a few chairs under a white tent, and we sat down, and he faced me, not the sunset. He asked me if he could read me a letter he had written me. "Of course" I said. ( I am a sucker for handwritten letters)

He began to read the words on the page, and they were sweet, they spoke of our story, how much he loved me, all the things about me he admired, ya know the real gushy stuff. He had recently had knee surgery so I wasn't expecting a proposal, or for him to get down on one knee. Well after he read me a beautiful letter, he pulled out a Bible, (got down on his good knee), and in the pages of the bible was THE MOST beautiful ring I had ever seen. He asked me to be his wife, and I remember saying "Yes, a thousand times yes." Just like Kiera Knightly in Pride and Prejudice. We hugged, we kissed, (I think I cried) I remember seeing out of the corner of my eye, my sister who was supposed to be a winter formal, at the top of the stairs. He had arranged for my family to be there and they were all at the top of the stairs waiting for me.

When I got to the edge of the stairs, I saw below by the cave, ALL my friends. There must have been 100 people there. I was so excited I could barely handle it all. I remember running to hug Jonny again, not even believing what my eyes were seeing, and the new rock that would live on my ring finger for the rest of time. I was so happy, it was such a beautiful night. There were lots of people and I was able to show everyone my ring, and we danced to the live band, and it was just a perfect proposal. We even got In N Out after the guests had left and before he dropped me off at home.

It blows my mind that its been three whole years since we got engaged. What's even crazier to me is how far we have come in three years. Those pictures of us seem like we are just kids. We knew nothing about marriage, except that we wanted to be married to each other. We had no idea about hardships, just that they could come. We had no idea about the joy that would come from living day in and day out with each other. The laughter, the car rides, the arguments the making up, the hard work that we would put into making our marriage work. It's all been so beautiful. So rewarding.

Cheers to 3 years my love. I love you more than words will ever be able to express. Thanks for asking me to be your wife, it was the best yes I've ever made.