A year ago today, I asked the most wonderful woman I have ever met to marry me.
I somehow caught her off guard, I thought I was about as obvious in my planning – we were out walking on a very familiar trail in Ridley Creek State Park, the White Trail to be exact, where a pair of trees are deeply entwined with each other. It was there that I stopped her and started to read a poem I had written to propose with.
I was nervous as possible, though in my soul I knew her answer already – she felt exactly the same way as me; we are soul mates and were destined to be together. Sadly my nerves didn’t feel this emotional reality was enough to give me a reprieve – I was nearly shaking i was so nervous. I made it halfway through the poem before I could look up.
I panicked; she wasn’t moving at all. Did I miss read her? Did she not feel this way? Did she need more time? A feather’s worth of logic brushed against my flustered self – Dude, she’s taken aback in a good way – she’s breathless; just keep reading.
So I kept reading. My knee barely made it to the ground, the ring barely out of the sack I hid it in in our hiking gear before she kissed me, teary eyed and nearly laughing with joy. A thousand positive answers flowed from her, or what felt like that and I nearly rolled down the hill in relief. She stopped kissing me long enough to give me a clear and firm, “Yes, I will marry you my True Love.”
We were supposed to be married later this year in 2018; we’re not exactly patient people as individuals – together we can be a very direct and certain team in motion. We don’t even like to wait to do chores, take time out for each other, or go adventuring. Getting married? It was everything we could do not to just go straight to the court house in our leather jackets and be done with it. In our hearts, we were already wed, it was really just a matter of paperwork in our minds.
Not to mention, I dunno, our families and friends to consider. We’re deeply unconventional people but even we understand the cultural and social value of being wed – people wanted to celebrate our legally bound selves to one another and our families were certainly going to want to meet our new respective spouses. So some kind of planning or consideration would be quite thoughtful to our loved ones.
We settled on being married on April 13th; which naturally landed on a Friday. Intentional? Quite. It was quite auspicious to Liz and memorable enough that there was no possible way either of us would forget it. We chose to have the ceremony in the very park we loved and got engaged in – but chose to do it closer in on the White Trail so the few people attending didn’t have to hike over an hour to our site.
We kept it to our friend Robert, with her work mate turned friend Kevin and my sister in life Lily as our witnesses. Everyone could fit into one car and the set up would be light enough that we could light hike to a good location without too much of an issue. Despite weeks and weeks of endless rain, we found the one weekend without, held our ceremony, and tied the knot. Quite literally. 😉
We chose to celebrate our union by traveling to her family on Memorial Day weekend and mine on Labor Day weekend. By design and consideration, it was a brilliant plan – it’s execution was a bit taxing on both jaunts but we got to meet many family members, each other’s friends, and our respective “places” in our birth places. Every step of both journeys were wonderful, even the stressful moments.
I never thought I would feel such… acceptance, happiness, and relentless love and support from anyone, perhaps ever. It is truly True Love; the cheesiest of cheese romances, the one where many people groan and want to chuck popcorn at the screen when you see it. And the most beautiful baffling part is… It’s real.
I don’t worry one of us is going to wake up with a different mindset or want a different life. I don’t worry about whether or not she’s satisfied, still desires me, or even craves my presence and touch. It’s a deep confidence I haven’t felt ever – on levels I didn’t think were possible. It’s never wavered, never paused, never dropped. Our love is my favorite song, on repeat, forever – and I will never tire of it.
Thank you to everyone who has been supportive, thoughtful, and always willing to put up with the cheesy dorks who are stupidly in love with each other. You are appreciated in your appreciation and kindness you have given us. You make an already sweet and wonderful life that much more delightful and wondrous.
Happy Engagement Day my Queen, my Vixen, my True Love, my Liz.
All my Love,
D.
Gilded Gibberish. 