The day I have been looking forward to for so long finally came yesterday. And it was so perfect!
Daniel and I went to dinner at Shogun Japanese Restaurant-a very nice hibachi grill. The food was fantastic, and we had a great time. The whole time, I just thought it was a nice, fancy study break. I was under the impression that we were going to spend the rest of the evening studying at the library. Daniel asked if we could take a campus walk, so we walked around a little, watching all of the Homecoming decorations and festivities come together, and we watched Joy and Lady roaming around in their habitat (and they were being very cute and playful!). Then he suggested that we should find a swing to sit in for a little while before hitting the books. So we walked over to my favorite part of campus, the garden area between Pat Neff and Waco hall. Daniel stopped me by the Ring of Honor with the Baylor seal and pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket. And then he read me the most beautiful message right before turning around to pick up the ring box (that just happened to already be sitting there on the ledge) and, after kneeling down on one knee, he asked me to marry him. I was crying from the moment he started reading me the note. Later, I found out that my sisters and Kent had been hiding behind the bushes, and Ellen had put the ring there for Daniel to pick up.
After Daniel put the ring on my finger, and after I got over the shock and amazement of what had just happened, we started walking back to his car. He told me that he had another "small" surprise for me. He drove me over to the suspension bridge, and when we walked up to the bridge, I saw a crowd of people surrounding a table with a white table cloth draped over it and a beautiful cake and bottles of sparkling cider on it. But the best part was when I realized who was surrounding the table! Becca, Shannon, Jacob, and Elizabeth had driven from College Station. Shannon came from Denton. Brooks friends, Uganda trip friends, accounting friends, my sister Ellen, Heather, and many other Baylor friends were there. It was beautiful. We laughed, hugged, and took lots of pictures. It was a dream come true....
Once everyone had started drifting away to get back to reality, Daniel and I headed back to campus, called family, and officially updated Facebook (because, you know how important that is these days!). I am so blessed to have a wonderful man in my life. I could not have asked for a better evening. I love and appreciate all of you who came out to celebrate this amazing moment of our lives! And, Daniel, I love you so much and can't wait to see what God has in store for our lives together. And so, the adventure of a lifetime begins....
