She said, "Wait, are you serious?"

 

Then she said yes.

On Saturday, I had planned a special date night for Sara.  All Sara knew was to wear comfortable shoes.  We started the night by walking to a near-by bar for a fancy cocktail.  We then continued on our evening for an early dinner at Zaytinya, a small-plates restaurant that I had wanted to try for quite a few years.  At dinner, which was delicious, I gave Sara part of her Christmas present, which was a copy of A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens and two tickets to see the production performed that night at Ford's Theatre. 

Throughout the evening and the play, I was so nervous.  My hand kept reaching into the pocket where the ring was hidden to make sure I hadn't lost it.  I didn't feel I could concentrate on anything because my mind just wandered back to what I wanted to say and how I wanted to propose.  After the show, we both stopped at the bathroom and while I waited for her to come out from the ladies room my heart beat out of my chest.  My pulse raced.  In the gift shop, I found a Christmas ornament with Ford's Theatre and 2013 on one side and A Christmas Carol on the other side and just had to purchase it (all the ornaments on our Christmas tree come from vacations or have special meaning).  As I paced nervously around the lobby waiting, I saw Sara, she smiled, and my heart melted.  She suggested we take a picture outside and I readily agreed.

We took a couple of selfies with the theatre sign behind us and then I spotted a couple walking down the street.  I asked them loudly to take a picture, then quietly told them I was about to propose and asked them to film it.  As Sara tossed her hair to get ready for the picture, I kissed her on the cheek and then dropped down to one knee.  Sara saw me and said, "What are you doing?" and then gasped.  I mumbled through something - anything I had pre-planned flew out my of head in my nervousness - and asked her if she would marry me.  She responded, "Wait, are you serious?"  When I told her I was she said yes and we hugged and kissed.  I put the ring on her finger (I started to put it on the wrong hand at first) and we embraced once again.  My legs shook from excitement and happiness. 

Captured from the video

We stayed outside the theatre for a half hour.  A couple of women in a car yelled out the window, asking if we just got engaged.  When we responded that we had, they cheered for us and honked the car horn.  We called our parents (who already knew - I asked Sara's mom for her blessing a few days earlier) and Sara's sister.  Apparently, Kristin and Kathy had spent the whole day texting each other, wondering what was taking me so long.  We decided to walk over to RFD - the bar where we had our first date - for a few drinks to end the night. 



 

 

I am so happy and excited.  We have no idea when or where we will get married or whether Sara will move to Germany or what will happen over the next two years.  But, I have found the woman I want to share the rest of my life and all of these crazy adventures with.  I am so excited and can't wait until I get to wake up every morning next to her.  I love her and she loves me.