Our Engagement Story... April 16, 2009

I was getting a bit restless at home so I planned a long weekend in one of our favorite spots, Napa Valley.

Little did I know that I was providing the perfect backdrop for our engagement.

We spent the 1st 2 days wine tasting and eating in downtown Napa.

We had visted Napa twice together prior to this trip and know what wineries are the best for us and which vineyards are the most picturesque.
When we woke up this morning we each had a job interview.
We were as nervous as could be for the interview... Bryan was so nervous that he thought he bombed the interview.
He called them back and let the company know that he was so scattered brained because he was proposing to me that very day.
Little did I know what was about to happen...
*
Bryan and I LOVE to picnic -- you could say it's "our" thing.
Well, before we made the drive to Napa I had researched the best, most romantic vineyards to picnic at.
I decided on the Bartholomew Park Winery in Sonoma.
Bryan packed an adorable picnic basket,
We stopped in for a tasting...
Then we headed out to their grounds to scope out our spot.
I wanted a spot with a pretty view of the vineyards.
Bryan wanted a spot that was secluded... hmmm, wonder why?!
I walked around for a bit trying to find this "perfect" spot while Bryan went back to the car to grab our picnic basket full of goodies.... and THE RING!
This is a photo I took of our unforgettable view...
We sat down on our blanket and got out our salami, cheese, crackers and wine.
I kept my camera out because I knew I wanted to take a picture of us at some point.
Well,
Bryan asked me if I wanted to take the photo really quick.
I said no because I was BEYOND ST-AR-VED!
Then I quickly changed my mind.
Why, you ask?
Well, because I knew that if I started to dig in to the snacks and vino, my lipstick would come off... and clearly I wanted lipstick on in the picture.
So here I go...
Putting the camera on a tree branch and setting the 10 second timer.
We took the photo below.
Within a millisecond of taking this picture Bryan was on his knee asking me to marry him.
Did I say yes?
Of course I did... but 1st I asked him if he asked my dad.
He did.
At Easter a few days earlier.
In person.
Ballsy and adorable and traditional and pure love.
After holding my face with both of MY hands... and saying "OH MY GOD" a few times... I said YES!
The most life changing YES of my life!
I'm marrying the love of my life!
And I love my ring :)
After we sat there in disbelief, laughing hysterically... at the fact we were really getting married, we enjoyed the rest of our picnic and headed off to our favorite winery, Artesia.
No joke, we continued laughing uncontrollably as we enjoyed our first flight as fiance's and then proceeded to drive back to our hotel to call our families and close friends.
Bryan had made reservations for dinner that night at Napa Valley's excellent Greystone Culinary Institute of America.
We ate, seriously, the best meal and sipped on some great champagne - Mumm, of course!
I will never forget April 16, 2009
The next day we drove back down south, but not home... we drove to the mountains.
My family was staying in a cabin in Big Bear.
My mom, dad, brother, his wife and my neice and nephew greeted us with a quick champagne toast, and while everyone else moved on from engagement talk to themselves, it was all Bryan and I could think about that weekend! Bryan skipping rocks with my *ahhem* our neice
Bryan was so smart to have let me plan the backdrop to our engagement because if he would have tried to do something different or special... I probably would have, in the back of my mind, thought "maybe today is the day Bryan proposes."
But I had no idea.
Smart man he is.
I couldn't have planned a more perfect engagement if I had tried!
I think I married a keeper...