saying yes!

one of my favorite things to ask engaged couples is, "how did he pop the question?"

i've always loved how each story is so different and unique, much like the couple that is telling their story.

well, it's finally my turn. so, here is our story.

i knew this was going to be a big year. i would be hitting a major milestone....30.

or as i like to say, 29 again. :)

tim had asked me months before my birthday what i wanted. more than anything, i wanted something i'd always remember. my love of travelling never seems to fade, so i mentioned a trip would be a good gift and left it at that. i'm sure i mentioned other things, but wanted him to make the final call on his gift for me.

around mid july, he had made no mention of a trip, so i just figured he was going to do something else.

on wednesday, july 18th, i got home from work and made my usual walk to the mailbox.

as i sorted through mail, i noticed a pottery barn catalog and then came across a plain white envelope with my name typed on it. since moving to my new place in may, i have been getting tons of mail, so i didn't think much of it.

once i got inside the house, i opened the white envelope and pulled out its contents.

the new yorker magazine.

huh. that's weird.

there wasn't a return address on the envelope. i thought to myself, "has anthrax made a comeback? any white powder in that package?"

i joked with my roommate, callie, about it and threw it away. no big deal, right?

the next day flew by as work was really busy; the mysterious package i received the day before didn't even cross my mind. as i was walking out of the office to leave to go home, i glanced down at my phone and saw a new email.  here's how it read:

subject: newyorker
from: baylor.bear@ymail.com

did you get my package? check it out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6PHOeXIPNZE&feature=youtube_gdata_player

what is going on?? as i stood there, i forwarded the email to both tim and callie wondering what they would say.

a swirl of emotions were going through my head. i was planning on heading the next weekend to dallas, maybe my family was planning a surprise trip to nyc. does tim have anything to do with this? what's up with new york?

callie called me and she mentioned that i should go home and dig the magazine out of the trash in case it is a stalker and i need evidence. she also mentioned she was going to have the i.t. department where she works look into the email and try to track the sender. ha!

as soon as i got off the phone with her, i looked down and another email arrived from the same baylor.bear@ymail.com sender. it said the following:

got your bags packed?

shortly thereafter, tim called (unfortunately stuck in traffic....he wanted to tell me in person), and said that we were leaving the next day for a birthday trip to nyc!  he even had called my boss to ask if i could take that friday off!

on friday morning, our flight left (very early) and we arrived in the big apple by lunch. 

we spent friday by going to grand central station, crumbs (my favorite bakery), st. patricks catherdral, rockefeller center, grabbing delish nyc pizza for dinner, and ended the evening by getting drinks at the marriott marquis overlooking times square. it was a perfect 1st day in the city.

on saturday, we spent the day roaming the city. we covered alot of ground! we went to greenwich village (my new favorite area), chelsea, brooklyn bridge, world trade center memorial, wall street, little italy(we we had an amazing italian lunch there), central park, and 5th avenue. that evening we went back to greenwich village and had a great mexican food dinner. 

unfortunately, sunday came too quick and we had a 4:30 flight to catch that day. that morning, tim and i grabbed starbucks and he suggested we go and sit and enjoy our drinks in nearby bryant park. bryant park is a beautiful park behind the new york public library.  

as we sat down at a little table in the park, we began chatting about the trip and how sad we were to leave. tim looked down at his backpack and looked through it and said he couldn't find his wallet and asked if i would look. when i found his wallet, i handed it back to him and glanced down at the table. 

on the table sat a blue box with the most beautiful diamond ring i've ever laid my eyes on. 

tim said, "i was thinking new york may be a place we might want to come back to visit when we're married. that is, if you'll marry me?"

to be completely honest with you, i don't really remember what i did. i was so overcome with emotion that i got up and ran to hug him saying, "yes".

it was more than i could have ever dreamed. he is more than i ever could have dreamed. 

it was the most wonderful day. 

tim mentioned that he waited to propose until the last day because it would give us something to look forward to when leaving. he was right. 

i am so thankful that this is our story. i'm amazed how God answers prayers. i can't wait to live life beside him. 

love,
the bride to be

p.s. here's a funny story. for those that know me, you may know that i secretly love puzzles. you can just call me an 80 year old woman. :)

with that said, i rarely will ever purchase a puzzle. 

however, earlier this summer, tim and i were shopping at barnes and noble and i found this one, bought it and completed it....little did i know a month later i'd be getting engaged 3 blocks away from this times square location.