When you watch enough Sex and the City and spend your fair share of time in the New York dating spin cycle, you come to a point when you question the possibility of having absolute certainty when it comes to deciding to spend the rest of your life with another. I never took it for granted that a romantic engagement was in the cards for me. After all, I have never been the girl who daydreamed about her dream proposal or knew her exact cut and carat requirements for the perfect engagement ring. The one time I recall seriously thinking about engagements was back when I was single and free, and it was only to ponder whether it was possible that there was someone out there who could inspire such clarity in that fateful moment for me.
I am happy to have found out that it is possible.
A month ago, the man I love asked me if I would like to marry him, and without a doubt in my mind, I answered yes.
I thought that I would have a clue when the time came. It's not that Johan and I hadn't talked about our future. We spoke about it freely and we were both sure that we would spend our lives together. But as you may have noticed by now, I like thinking that I've got life figured out, and I was convinced that we had to go through a series of logical steps before we got to the fun part (you know, stuff like living in the same continent, for one). But Johan decided to flip the script, and he well and truly swept me off my feet!
On what seemed like the most ordinary of evenings in Amsterdam, Johan led me to a quiet canal where a beautiful saloon boat was docked. I was certain we were highjacking someone's special evening in Amsterdam—not because we never do special things or because Johan can't be romantic, but I was sure our plan was to hop on a run-of-the-mill tourist boat to see the Amsterdam Light Festival. "I don't think this is our boat," I said worriedly as the captain took our coats and poured us glasses of champagne. Johan enjoyed my absolute confusion for a moment before finally assuring me that we were not hijacking a boat because he had booked it especially for us. As the relief and happiness at such a lovely surprise washed over me, I somehow missed the clue that there might be something more to this evening. We sailed on, enjoying our champagne and the fact that we were not standing in line in the cold, waiting to board a tour boat. When the boat sailed on to the Ij, Johan suddenly said, "I actually have another little surprise." At that point, I finally realized that something else was afoot ... but then, another twist! Instead of pulling a ring box out of his coat, he handed me a flat leather pouch. Ever the easily distracted little bird, I immediately forgot about the possibility of being presented with a ring and thought, "Oooh, he got me earrings! I love earrings!" I eagerly opened the pouch, expecting to find a pair of sparklers, but to my surprise, there was just one beautiful ring. "No way," I said in disbelief and when I looked up, Johan got down on one knee and popped the question. I could not have said yes more quickly. I cannot express how happy I have been since then.
On what seemed like the most ordinary of evenings in Amsterdam, Johan led me to a quiet canal where a beautiful saloon boat was docked. I was certain we were highjacking someone's special evening in Amsterdam—not because we never do special things or because Johan can't be romantic, but I was sure our plan was to hop on a run-of-the-mill tourist boat to see the Amsterdam Light Festival. "I don't think this is our boat," I said worriedly as the captain took our coats and poured us glasses of champagne. Johan enjoyed my absolute confusion for a moment before finally assuring me that we were not hijacking a boat because he had booked it especially for us. As the relief and happiness at such a lovely surprise washed over me, I somehow missed the clue that there might be something more to this evening. We sailed on, enjoying our champagne and the fact that we were not standing in line in the cold, waiting to board a tour boat. When the boat sailed on to the Ij, Johan suddenly said, "I actually have another little surprise." At that point, I finally realized that something else was afoot ... but then, another twist! Instead of pulling a ring box out of his coat, he handed me a flat leather pouch. Ever the easily distracted little bird, I immediately forgot about the possibility of being presented with a ring and thought, "Oooh, he got me earrings! I love earrings!" I eagerly opened the pouch, expecting to find a pair of sparklers, but to my surprise, there was just one beautiful ring. "No way," I said in disbelief and when I looked up, Johan got down on one knee and popped the question. I could not have said yes more quickly. I cannot express how happy I have been since then.
I started this blog with the conviction that one's happily ever after should not be contingent on Prince Charming's arrival and that we should always be responsible for ensuring our own happiness. I still firmly believe that happiness ultimately comes from within—but there's incredible joy that comes with finding the person with whom I would love to spend the rest of my life and knowing that we have made the first step to building our life together. I am so excited to see how our happily ever will continue to unfold.
- Saturday, January 30, 2016
- 11 Comments
