Travis asked me a day or two prior if I wanted to go to Texas de Brazil for dinner- it’s a really ritzy steak house where the gauchos walk around with different cuts of meat and offer you whatever you want until you stuff yourself silly. During the day of our dinner date Travis had to work. He was going to go in earlier in the day so that he could get off in time to take me to dinner before I had to go back down to SVU the next day.
So, He picked me up for dinner and soon after reached the restaurant’s parking lot. After we had walked a few meters from the car He had to go back for his phone. In my head at the time I thought, sure, your phone; I was for sure it would be the ring. But to my surprise it really was his phone. Once in Texas de Brazil we had to wait a few minutes to be seated. I noticed a girl from my high school was a hostess there. We were led to the back of the restaurant to a smaller and less crowded room. I wondered to myself if this was planned and if there was a reason we were back in this room. We had a wonderful dinner and both stuffed ourselves silly. The meat was wonderful. If it wasn’t so darn expensive I would go there at least once a week- and I’m not even that much of a meat lover. It is marvelous. We chatted during dinner, had the waiter take our picture- which turned out blurry- and tried to “out-steak” each other. Mostly we just enjoyed each other’s company. As we wrapped up Travis got the bill and we got ready to head out. We took a picture together outside and headed to the car.
In the car He asked if I had a bedtime and suggested since it was our last night together before I headed back to school that we would extend it a little and go into DC. We’d done this last summer and taken pictures by the Washington Monument. All of the monuments are really pretty at night, all light up.
When we got there we parked by the Washington Monument. I got out first and walked a few steps away from the car facing the monument waiting for Him. He got out and went into the back door of his dad’s truck because he said his cell phone fell down the back of the chair and he had to get it. I had the feeling that this wasn’t quite true but I really couldn’t be sure after the similar situation at the restaurant. Hand in hand we started walking toward the monument when I realized I needed to go to the bathroom.
First, a cute couple had us take their picture in front of the monument and we had them do the same for us. Then we headed off in the direction of the bathroom. I had my thumb hooked in his back pocket, like couples often do, but he was freaking out about how I was “touching his butt” and acting really odd. I insisted that I wasn’t trying to touch his butt but decided it was easier just to move my hand. It turns out the ring was in that back pocket and Travis was for sure that I was on to him, I wasn't. At that point He started walking really fast and breathing pretty hard. I tried to tell him that I just need to go, that it wasn’t an emergency. He helped me jump down off the rock ledge to the bathroom and waited for me outside while I waited for everyone to use one stall since all the rest were out of toilet paper. Forget handing paper to the people in line, everyone just used the one stall and took their sweet time. When that was all done we headed back the direction we’d come, up toward the monument. We didn’t walk too far before He stopped walking and at that point I knew what was coming.
I gave him a few kisses to calm his apparent nerves. He said something like, “I don’t think we should be boyfriend/girlfriend anymore.” This caught me off guard but I could tell there was more than just that. He said other words but at the time I was too excited and shocked that it was actually happening to really take it all in. I know he had put thought into what he was going to say and was so sweet doing it but I was too anxious to focus. Travis got down on his knee, almost losing his balance, and very calmly asked me to marry him. I said “of course!” and he put the ring on my finger. There was no doubt in my mind and there still isn't.
All my life I had been worried that I would be embarrassed on the day I was proposed do because I have big hands and I was afraid I would be given a ring that didn’t fit. That didn’t happen- the ring fit (he had smartly figured out my size in advance) and we hugged and kissed for a good minute there, standing in the grass, in front of tons of people. (None of whom said a word to us.) He was still shaking and obviously nervous so I had us go sit down on the marble benches beneath the monument. He looked at the ring on my finger and we talked about how awesome this was to finally be engaged, after 6 years together. We took a couple pictures but for once in my life I didn’t want the hassle of pictures to take away from such a special moment- one that I know will never happen again in my life and that I could never re-live. It was a really special time for us sitting up there on the monument. It was like nobody else mattered, people could be watching, or staring but from then on it was me and him- just us two, together forever.
~Anna
Anna and I finally got our engagement photos. They were a great success. We had fun doing them and we were very excited when we saw the four samples that Leah Sidwell (the photographer) put up. We will be sure to post a lot more of them when they become available. We had them taken by the Ben Salem wayside and at some train tracks in Buena Vista. It was very exciting to finally have pictures that will last a lifetime and that we can show to our children and grandchildren someday.
