Our Engagement Story

When you meet someone who…

makes your heart flutter,

makes you a better person,

you can’t live without,

you hold onto that person and you  n e v e r.  l e t.  g o.

When I met Kevin, I knew he was unique. He was unlike any other guy I had ever met.  He was gentle with children, friendly to strangers, respectful to the elderly, but most importantly, he was perfect to me. He was charming, chivalrous and selfless... He put me on a pedestal and treated me like a princess. He had a way of making me feel special and I knew from the start he was the man I wanted to marry.

I had a notion he felt the same, but I had no idea when he would propose, if ever. But then one September day, my life changed forever…

We were on a cruise, vacationing in the Caribbean when it happened.  As the sun was rising and the ship was docking, Kevin kissed my forehead, waking me from a deep slumber. It was Friday and we had finally arrived in Belize.

For months leading up to our trip, Kevin had insisted we book a room with a balcony and soon, I would learn why.

I rolled out of bed and followed him to the wooden railing, overlooking the ocean. With his back facing me, he began pouring his heart out, telling me how much I meant to him. At first, I didn’t think anything of it because he was always expressing his feelings for me. But this time was different. He seemed nervous and I didn’t know why.

He turned around and continued telling me how much he loved me and how happy he was to have met me. He said that he could tell I felt the same because I was constantly showing him, especially when he had deployed.

“There was one gift you sent me while I was in Haiti that was very special… those coupons you made,” he said.

He was referring to a tiny box of coupons made out of pink construction paper.  On each coupon I had written a promise, mostly things I would do for him once he returned.

At this point, he had already been home for three months and still hadn’t used any of his coupons, so of course, I was quick to point that out.

“Yes, but you still haven’t used any of them yet!” I said.

He looked at me with a smile and said,  “But there’s really only one I need.”

Then he handed me a small pink heart, on which I could see three small words written in ink… “My Eternal Love.”

Immediately, my eyes welled up with tears and I told him I would always love him.

It was then he bent down on one knee, pulled out the most beautiful ring and said those five words that melted my heart, “Will you marry me, Kim?”

 Of course, I spontaneously burst into uncontrollable tears. In fact, I was so overwhelmed with emotion I couldn’t even respond!

For at least five minutes, we stood there, kissing and hugging each other tightly. Finally, he pulled back and slipped the sparkly princess cut jewel on my finger. We were engaged! And to make it even more special, it was the 17^th day of September--exactly 17 months to the day after we met.

Because we were still on a ship, I had to wait THREE days to inform my friends and family of the news. I later found out that a month before our trip, Kevin had called both my mom and my dad, asking for their blessing to marry me. He also spoke to each of my seven siblings, requesting their approval as well.

So now, exactly two years later, we are (obviously) married and life couldn’t be better! 

 

Tonight, we celebrated the second anniversary of the proposal with a delicious dinner on the Sunabe Seawall. It was romantic and perfect… just like my husband. :)