A Good Day to Propose

I know some gals think that Valentines Day isn’t a good day for a man to propose marriage to his sweetheart (probably because lots of guys do it on that day). But I happen to disagree. Maybe it’s because yesterday (Valentines) was our third-year engagement anniversary and, every year since Kevin asked me to marry him, it’s made Valentines day very memorable and special to us. Not only do we celebrate love-in-general on Valentines Day, but we also commemorate our engagement.

Last night we had good times rehashing memories. When Kev picked me up for dinner on Valentines Day 2002, I had no idea he was going to propose that night. We went to Gatsby’s Tavern in Alexandria, Virginia. Kevin was so nervous, he could hardly talk to me at dinner. (That’s when I got my first clue he was going to propose.) During dinner, a man playing a fiddle in the corner shouted out, “May your sweethearts become your wives, and may your wives always be your sweethearts!” After dinner I wanted to walk around and look at the shops. Kevin, who ordinarily goes along with my suggestions, emphatically stated that, no, we should instead “go somewhere with a view of D.C.” (That’s when I got my second clue.) We then went to the National Cathedral gardens, which is a lovely place when you can actually see it (when we arrived it was pitch dark). Eventually we wound up in the gazebo where Kevin and I sat down on a bench. Because of the chill, he was wearing a large wool coat. Unbeknownst to me, the ring was in his pocket and when I sat next to him, I sat right on top of the ring. After several minutes, Kevin asked me to get up so he could take my picture. I thought this was an odd request since, again, it was pitch dark and I knew my eyes would look like a zombie’s in the photo. In reality, he wanted to take my picture to get me off the ring so he could access it and pop the question! After taking my picture, he got on one knee and asked me to marry him. And, of course, I said yes. Actually, as Kevin reminded me last night, my first response was, “Oh my goodness!”