Our Love Story – Part 8

If you’re just joining this series, be sure to go read Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6 and Part 7 before you read this post!

Wow.  If you’ve stuck with me through this series, you’re a gem! I appreciate you so very much.

Last week, I told you about how my sweet (then) boyfriend swapped the ring he special ordered for another ring.  He showed it to my Dad who gave immediate permission for the proposal.  That was New Year’s Eve.

On New Year’s Day 2005, I woke up with thoughts of new things. A new year.  A new day. A fresh start.  My family

invited Ernie’s family to come over for New Year’s Dinner.  Ernie and I had discussed our finances and accountability, so I bought two ledgers for us to get started with.

Our family’s rule was that work always came before play, so when Ernie arrived earlier than the rest of his family I assumed that it was because we were going to sit down and look at our finances. My OCD self loves the lines of a ledger, so combined with his math brain (read: instant calculator) I knew we were headed for a fun morning.  Yes, call me weird!

He refused to sit down and look at finances with me, because He wanted to go on a walk. {humph}

I was not happy.  So, I stormed out of the house (literally) and went marching down the driveway toward the pasture.  He quickly caught up with me. I thought it was a little strange that he was wearing a jacket since it was almost 80 degrees.

What-ev-er.

We walked in silence while I cooled off.  {We are both very passionate people, so it’s made for some interesting discussions at times.  It’s a good thing he loves my spunkiness!}

We were walking along the dam beside the pond when all of a sudden, Ernie started walking down the side of the hill (away from the houses, and possible peeping Toms!).  I asked him what in the world he was doing. I walked – more like ran – down the hill faster than him and when I noticed that he wasn’t beside me I turned around…

And there he was.

Standing.  Looking at me.  Holding his hands out to me.

My heart stopped beating. I gasped.

I began to realize what was happening.

He spoke. He asked, “Do you trust me?”

I said, “Yes, of course.”  He took my hands.

Then he knelt.

And he said, “You are the queen of my heart, the love of my life, my kindred spirit and my best friend. Myra Hope, will you marry me?”

With tears in my eyes filled with amazement, I said, “Yes!”

Ernie pulled a ring box out of the aforementioned jacket.  After opening the little box, he put the most gorgeous princess-cut, diamond solitare on my finger. LOVE!

We walked slowly hand-in-hand back to the house to my very emotional family. We rejoiced together and a few happy tears were shed.

His parents arrived for dinner.  We celebrated.  The beginning of the New Year.

And the beginning of our engagement!

{To be continued…}

Where did you get engaged?