Engagement! (My Life Recently, Part 1)
Some exciting news... I got engaged!! I thought I'd share the story here, along with some updates on what's been happening since the engagement. (This is going to take two posts.) But first some backstory on who I will be marrying...
I met my fiancé, David, almost two years ago through CatholicMatch.com. (So I suppose technology had a pivotal role in my dating life too.) I had been on the site for about 10 months and I was feeling a little discouraged that all the guys I met were either a) not what I was looking for or b) not interested in me enough to meet me in person or go on more than one date. I had plenty of on-going conversations with guys through Catholic Match's messages, sometimes for 2-3 months or more, but I only met two of those guys in person.
When David finally messaged me in late August 2015, I almost didn't respond to him. I was already having conversations with two others guys, and from his pictures he didn't look like the type of guy I'm usually attracted to. (I know it sounds shallow, but that was my thought at the time.) But from David's initial message he seemed very friendly and willing to share information about himself. (Open about himself, knows who he is. Good qualities!) He was a salesperson for a prominent health insurance company in Michigan. (Good steady job. I like that!) He also lived in a city only 15-20 minutes away from me, as compared to the other two guys who lived at least an hour away. I figured it would be easier to date a guy who lived closer, especially since the new school year was only a week away and I was about to get much busier. So I decided to give David a try. He also surprised me by asking me out in person after only messaging back and forth twice! (Knows what he wants and goes for it. Also positive!).
For our first date we went to dinner at a Champps restaurant (sadly the one we went to is now closed) and watched the Michigan State vs. Western Michigan football game on TV there. (I'm a Michigan State alumni and he's a Western alumni.) We found lots to talk about, some things we had in common and some things unique about ourselves. He impressed me because he could ask questions and carry on a conversation better than most guys I knew. (This is important for an introvert like me. I need help carrying a conversation sometimes.) And he asked me out on another date before this one was over! (Pretty rare with most guys I've gone out with.) I can't say I was smitten with him during that date (although he says he was with me), but he interested me enough to go out with him again. And again and again and again.
Our relationship unfolded like many do. We went on a few dates, had fun together, grew closer. Eventually we became officially boyfriend and girlfriend. We met each other's friend groups and families. And soon I felt like David had always been part of my life. I know David and I have made each other stronger over the last two years. We challenge each other to be more loving, forgiving, compassionate, and faithful. We encourage each other to put God at the center of our lives and follow the teachings of the Catholic church. When he got down on one knee to propose it was a no brainer to say yes.
David and I started talking about marriage almost a year ago. For a while we had those kind of casual conversations about what it might be like to get married, have kids, and build a future together. Those conversations grew more serious and plans about where we would live, how we'd raise children, and what it would be like to join each other's families became more concrete. I told him I didn't want to be taken by surprise when he proposed to me. I wanted us to be already committed to marrying each other, having discussed the important issues already. The ring would just be the visible, outward sign that this was all official. David went beyond that though and asked my input on what my ring should look like and where he should buy it. He told me about when he bought it (although not what it looked like) and also when he asked for my parents' blessing. All this full disclosure pre-proposal may seem a little unromantic to some people, but it was exactly what I wanted. David made me feel secure about my future with him by sharing these plans and asking my input.
The engagement itself happened on a trip to Niagara Falls and upstate New York in mid-July. We were going to Rochester, NY because David was a groomsman in his best friend's wedding. To make the trip more of a vacation, we decided to spend a couple days in Niagara Falls (the Canadian side), since we'd pass right through there driving to New York from Michigan.
On our second day in Niagara Falls (July 13, 2017), we walked to the brink of the Horseshoe Falls (the larger waterfall on the Canadian side) and ate lunch at the Welcome Center and did the "Journey Behind the Falls" tour. (We had a slightly late start to our day because it poured rain all morning. But thankfully the rain cleared by lunchtime.) In "Journey Behind the Falls" you take an elevator down near the base of the waterfall and walk through a series of tunnels and platforms to look at the falls from the side and even behind them! David told me he was thinking about proposing on our trip, so all through our walk to the Welcome Center and tour I wondered if today would be the day.
I met my fiancé, David, almost two years ago through CatholicMatch.com. (So I suppose technology had a pivotal role in my dating life too.) I had been on the site for about 10 months and I was feeling a little discouraged that all the guys I met were either a) not what I was looking for or b) not interested in me enough to meet me in person or go on more than one date. I had plenty of on-going conversations with guys through Catholic Match's messages, sometimes for 2-3 months or more, but I only met two of those guys in person.
When David finally messaged me in late August 2015, I almost didn't respond to him. I was already having conversations with two others guys, and from his pictures he didn't look like the type of guy I'm usually attracted to. (I know it sounds shallow, but that was my thought at the time.) But from David's initial message he seemed very friendly and willing to share information about himself. (Open about himself, knows who he is. Good qualities!) He was a salesperson for a prominent health insurance company in Michigan. (Good steady job. I like that!) He also lived in a city only 15-20 minutes away from me, as compared to the other two guys who lived at least an hour away. I figured it would be easier to date a guy who lived closer, especially since the new school year was only a week away and I was about to get much busier. So I decided to give David a try. He also surprised me by asking me out in person after only messaging back and forth twice! (Knows what he wants and goes for it. Also positive!).
For our first date we went to dinner at a Champps restaurant (sadly the one we went to is now closed) and watched the Michigan State vs. Western Michigan football game on TV there. (I'm a Michigan State alumni and he's a Western alumni.) We found lots to talk about, some things we had in common and some things unique about ourselves. He impressed me because he could ask questions and carry on a conversation better than most guys I knew. (This is important for an introvert like me. I need help carrying a conversation sometimes.) And he asked me out on another date before this one was over! (Pretty rare with most guys I've gone out with.) I can't say I was smitten with him during that date (although he says he was with me), but he interested me enough to go out with him again. And again and again and again.
Our relationship unfolded like many do. We went on a few dates, had fun together, grew closer. Eventually we became officially boyfriend and girlfriend. We met each other's friend groups and families. And soon I felt like David had always been part of my life. I know David and I have made each other stronger over the last two years. We challenge each other to be more loving, forgiving, compassionate, and faithful. We encourage each other to put God at the center of our lives and follow the teachings of the Catholic church. When he got down on one knee to propose it was a no brainer to say yes.
David and I started talking about marriage almost a year ago. For a while we had those kind of casual conversations about what it might be like to get married, have kids, and build a future together. Those conversations grew more serious and plans about where we would live, how we'd raise children, and what it would be like to join each other's families became more concrete. I told him I didn't want to be taken by surprise when he proposed to me. I wanted us to be already committed to marrying each other, having discussed the important issues already. The ring would just be the visible, outward sign that this was all official. David went beyond that though and asked my input on what my ring should look like and where he should buy it. He told me about when he bought it (although not what it looked like) and also when he asked for my parents' blessing. All this full disclosure pre-proposal may seem a little unromantic to some people, but it was exactly what I wanted. David made me feel secure about my future with him by sharing these plans and asking my input.
The engagement itself happened on a trip to Niagara Falls and upstate New York in mid-July. We were going to Rochester, NY because David was a groomsman in his best friend's wedding. To make the trip more of a vacation, we decided to spend a couple days in Niagara Falls (the Canadian side), since we'd pass right through there driving to New York from Michigan.
On our second day in Niagara Falls (July 13, 2017), we walked to the brink of the Horseshoe Falls (the larger waterfall on the Canadian side) and ate lunch at the Welcome Center and did the "Journey Behind the Falls" tour. (We had a slightly late start to our day because it poured rain all morning. But thankfully the rain cleared by lunchtime.) In "Journey Behind the Falls" you take an elevator down near the base of the waterfall and walk through a series of tunnels and platforms to look at the falls from the side and even behind them! David told me he was thinking about proposing on our trip, so all through our walk to the Welcome Center and tour I wondered if today would be the day.
After leaving the Welcome Center, David said he wanted to walk back on a different sidewalk than the one we took walking to the falls. This sidewalk was on the other side of the road, farther away from the main walkway at the water's edge, and much less crowded. I began to suspect he was ready to do something special. (He'd been asking about similar "out of the way" sidewalks the day before.) We got about 100 yards down this sidewalk, in view of the Horseshoe Falls across the road. At that point David stopped and pulled me into a hug. (To gather his courage, I think.) Then he let go of me, got down on one knee, and pulled out the ring from his pocket. He made a short, adorable speech about how much he loved me (which I won't share here) and then asked me to marry him. And of course, I said yes!
Later that day we took a boat ride into the falls mist and had our own engagement celebration dinner in the Skylon Tower Revolving Dining Room. The Skylon Tower has observation decks where you can view the falls from 700 feet in the air. The Revolving Dining Room is a fancy restaurant in the tower that turns 360 degrees each hour so you can look at the falls and the surrounding area while you eat. Then we took a walk down by the falls after dinner to take more pictures and watch the nightly fireworks. It was a wonderful engagement day!
The post-engagement whirlwind has been in full swing these last three weeks since we came home from our trip. My next post will share my first impressions of wedding planning... and a little of my wisdom teeth surgery. (Hey, it's less miserable recovering from wisdom teeth removal when you have a wedding to think about.)
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