Thai Food, Rain Boots, and A Question

The lovely Betty is asking today: How did you and your sweetie get engaged?

Well I thought you’d never ask.

April 12, 2008 was a cool, rainy, Chicago spring day. I had class, and then was meeting my wonderful boyfriend “Atticus” for dinner. Even though I had moved that summer to a different neighborhood, he suggested going to a Thai restaurant in my old neighborhood, Hyde Park. I’d never been, and love Thai, so it sounded good to me.

Since I’d had class earlier that day, I was wearing my rain boots. Now, these were not just any rain boots. They were my “I wish I was still a kid” rain boots.

Classy, huh?

I showed up at the restaurant wearing these boots, a cute denim skirt, and a sweater.

We ate a delicious meal, and then headed to the car. It was raining and about 45 degrees or so.

Atticus asked me if I’d like to take a walk along Lake Michigan, since we were just a few blocks away. I said (this is a rough approximation), “No. It’s cold and raining. Let’s go to my apartment and watch a movie.”

To which he replied, “Well, we could do that. Or we could take a walk. I think it would be nice to walk a little bit along the lake this evening.”

To which I responded, “No. I don’t want to. I’m cold and it’s raining. What’s up with you and the lake, anyway?”

To which he responded, “Well, how about we just go walking for ten minutes, then we can come back to the car. I really want to walk since we ate that big meal.”

To which I said, “Fine. But don’t think I’m going to like it.”

Then it was pout, pout, pout from the car over to the lake shore trail. We started walking, and about ten minutes later we came to one of the prettiest points along the lake shore.

Our view. Only it was raining.

We paused, and Atticus started talking. He told me some really wonderful, very sweet things. I was happy, but cold. Just as I was about to suggest we hightail it back to the car, he did something completely unexpected; he got down on his knees. Yes, both of them.

Then I figured out what was happening. And felt like a moron and princess all at once.

He said some more really sweet things, and then asked me to marry him.

I said yes.

He got back up, and took a little blue box out of his pocket. No, not that blue. He opened it up, and inside sat the perfect ring. I started sobbing like crazy. You know, the ugly cry with the snot coming out your nose and your mascara running down your face.

More or less.

Inside the box was my mother’s ring, made into my ring.

The center diamond came from my mother’s engagement. The diamond in her ring belonged to my dad’s grandmother, a woman by the name of Sarah. I have the diamond in my ring that came to this country from Italy on the hand of the woman I am named for.

Not only that, but I also realized that we were standing in roughly the same spot where, one year ago to the day, we had a conversation and decided we were in a relationship.

I think an emotional response was warranted.

Later that night we called our families and some friends to share the good news.

The following evening we went out for dinner, and then to a symphony concert where we saw my friend Elizabeth (Maggie’s godmother) perform.

On Sunday of that weekend, we went to Elizabeth’s fiance’s house for a “BBQ”. When we got there, it was a surprise engagement party that Atticus and Elizabeth had organized!

It was a truly wonderful weekend. Thankfully I didn’t mess it up by refusing to take a walk!

How did you and your sweetie decide to take the plunge?