We're Engaged!

Yesterday, Saturday October 12, John and I got engaged!  He made the day so special and gave me the most beautiful ring <3  I can't wait to share all the details of our special day!

John started out his plan by telling me he wanted to have a picnic at Balboa on Saturday.  Afternoons in the park are a frequent weekend activity for John and I, so I didn't think much of it.  Saturday morning, we woke up and got ready for our picnic, packing a cooler bag with some snacks and gathering our normal picnic accessories - blanket, reading material, deck of cards.  We got in the car and picked up sandwiches on the way at one of our favorite spots, Rubicon Deli.

When we arrived at the park, John told me he had a few surprises for me, and when he opened the trunk, there were flowers and a cute little picnic basket that he had emptied the cooler bag into!  I thought that alone was super cute - he put thought into getting a basket?  Can I get an "awww"?  At this point I thought maybe this was part of an extravagant birthday surprise.  When we started making our way into the park, I thought that John's choice of spot was different than our usual, but didn't think too much into it.  It was a gorgeous afternoon at Balboa, and we set up our blanket right near one of our favorite spots in the park, right in front of the botanical garden.

We ate our sandwiches and chatted a bit.  John didn't eat as much as usual, which I thought was a bit strange =P  In hindsight, I guess he was a bit nervous and not as hungry as usual!  After we had eaten, John told me that I had to stand up for the last part of my surprise, and as he stood, I saw the outline of the box in his pocket.  As he reached for his pocket and got down on one knee I was in shock!!  He told me some super-cute things, and popped the question!!  And although I was shaking, I of course said YES!!!  Poor John told me after that his legs felt like Jello when he got down on one knee!  I didn't even notice the photographer that John had hired snapping pictures a short distance away.  It was such a special moment and I'm so happy he thought to get a photographer to capture it :-)

I am beyond excited to marry my best friend and the love of my life.  2013 has certainly been an exciting year for us.  To think where we were on January 1 to where we are now, and how much adventure has been had in the past few months, our engagement was the perfect next step of our journey together.  After spending months together in close quarters - first during the road trip in the car, and after arriving, living in a studio, it's really been a testament for how well we get along and enjoy each other's company!  There's not many people I've known that can get along so well after spending so much time together.  I can honestly say I think I could count how many arguments we've had since leaving Buffalo on less than both hands.  That's incredible!  I'm so excited at the prospect of our life together and all the exciting things to come.  John has always been my partner in crime, the ying to my yang, and we know each other better than we know ourselves.  I can't wait to see what our life together brings!

After John asked and the shock had passed, we spent the rest of the afternoon calling our friends and family who were all so happy to hear the news!  We haven't even chatted about any wedding details yet, but we know one thing - it's going to  be a beautiful, fun celebration!  I hope you enjoy all the gorgeous photos that were taken by our amazing photographer, Shelly Anderson.  She also wrote about us in her blog, check it out!

Last night, we celebrated by enjoying dinner at a restaurant downtown called Zanzibar.  One of our friends, Eryka, who coincidentally works at Zanzibar, texted to congratulate us during dinner, and when she heard where we were celebrating, she and her boyfriend Nate sent us champagne!  Our dinner was delicious and quite the celebration with all the champagne :)