Flashback 7 years ago!

This weekend is the weekend Dave proposed to me 7 years ago! Here's a flashback engagement photo just for fun! AND in case you were wondering-it rained that weekend! (as it does every first weekend in June :-)) The following is our engagement story if you've never heard, or want to hear it again. (I tried to include all the good details, but it's really the best when Dave tells it!)

My easy-going boyfriend was a wreck, as the rain was just one of the problems that evening! We had a wonderful dinner at Old Spaghetti Factory on the waterfront in downtown Portland. After dinner we planned to walk along the waterfront, but because it was Rose Festival weekend, a lot of roads were blocked off and we couldn't figure out how to get down there! I could tell Dave was getting agitated and wondered why it mattered so much. I suggested we could take the walk another day, but for some reason, it seemed very important to him that it work that evening. After being detoured several times we ended up frustrated and back on I5 headed away from Portland. By that time, we both had to go to the bathroom and his truck was nearly out of gas! After stopping at Fred Meyer we decided to give it another go and eventually found a place to park near the waterfront! Just as we got out of the truck and pondered which way to walk, it started raining! Poor Dave :-). We huddled under the nearest bridge (I wasn't wearing a coat, as it WAS June! Little did I know, Dave was very worried I would think he was horribly rude for not sharing his, but he didn't want me to discover the ring in his pocket!) While we waited, an "interesting" man offered to paint our picture several times. Just as we were thinking it would be better to just get a little wet than tell him "no, thank you" one more time, the weather cleared and the sun came out!

After such a comical beginning the night was about to become as perfect as I could have pictured it. We strolled down to the Riverfront Hotel where they have a large circular patio that hangs out over the Willamette River. I remember thinking what a fun and funny night and then before I knew what was happening, Dave was down on one knee with a ring box telling me how much he loved me and wanted to spend the rest of his life with me! I really couldn't have been more surprised, but suddenly, all the events and his subsequent reactions throughout the evening began to make sense. I'm sure I had a ridiculous smile on my face as I excitedly answered YES! and looked, not quite believing this was happening, at the beautiful ring on my finger! Conveniently, there was a bench not far away where we sat and talked about a wedding and our future together for quite a while, just enjoying each other and the confidence you feel in knowing you belong together. Finally, we decided to get back home and announce to our families (who already knew what Dave planned) our big news! Dave stepped in front of me and pulled me up from the bench. I could see the river behind him as he leaned in to kiss me, and at that EXACT moment the Rose Festival fireworks went off over the river! The night that started off as a disaster ended as a fairytale! (of course, if you ask Dave about it, he will tell you that was all part of his plan and the detours/stress, potty breaks, painter guy, etc. were all necessary delays so the fireworks would be at the right time :-)). Anyway, 7 years later, I'm still so thankful for that evening. While our lives are not exactly a fairytale all the time, we are learning together to follow Christ and I couldn't ask for anything more!