10 Years Later....

Tonight is the ten year anniversary of the night that Ryan proposed to me.  Our story doesn't begin there of course, and maybe I'll cover the beginning another time, but for now, I would like to reminisce about the moment I became Mrs. Wall-to-be.  Ryan and I had been dating for about a year and a half (minus a few months where "we were on a break"--no copy girl involved for you Friends fans).  I had a feeling that it was coming for a while.  I knew that it wouldn't happen at Christmas, because we spent it with family, both his and mine, and proposing around a lot of people we know just isn't Ryan's style.  So, New Year's seemed like the perfect time.  New beginnings, romantic dinner, perfect...right?  Well, so I thought. 

Aren't we fancy?  We look so young!!!

We went to dinner at Top of the Rock in Branson (Remember it?  It was great!)  We were all dressed up and feeling like we were such mature adults, as we were at 21 and 22.  (HA!)  The restaurant already had an intimate feel, but Ryan also had us seated at a table with an excellent view of the lake.  Gorgeous view, semi-private location, seemed like a good spot to me.  I don't remember what we ate, but I do remember we had creme brulee for dessert.  Not surprising that I remember dessert, I know.  Dessert would have been a nice time to propose, no?  No.    I remember we even walked out onto the balcony after we ate even though it was ridiculously freezing!  Perfect opportunity, so I thought.  Nope.  I was starting to get mildly annoyed, but didn't want my future husband to see that, because frankly until I got the ring on my finger, I was a little bit afraid of letting him see my crazy side.  Not that he hadn't seen hints, but really what girl wants to go all crazypants pre-engagement.  So, I kept my cool, because that feeling in my gut told me to just be patient, it was coming.  We walked back inside the restaurant before the frostbite kicked in and enjoyed the view a few more moments so that he could pull at that ring and pop the question.  Or not.  So we finished up got in the car and drove back to Springfield to Ryan's apartment. 

"Mind if we just hang out at home and watch the ball drop?", he says.  "No, of course not" (you big jerkface), I reply,  I know he hadn't done anything wrong, I was just so sure of the fact that it was the night.  So sure that when my cousin Kristi offered to pay me double to babysit on New Year's Eve, I had told her no, because I knew that it would have been worth it.  I thought it would have anyway.  We get back to Ryan's apartment, and I'm thinking "Hey, forget this, I'm not staying all fancy to sit on the couch for the next three hours and watch some old geezer count down to the new year."  So, I followed Ryan's lead and changed into sweats and threw my hair up in a ponytail (just to be clear, he didn't have a ponytail, if he had, I wouldn't have been hoping for a proposal from him).  It was a fine evening once we got there and got comfy, just not anything fabulous.  We sat and cuddled on the same couches that sit on our living room now (four moves later).  We drank hot chocolate, and we watched Dick Clark.  Let's see it was 2001, so who was on?  Probably Jessica Simpson or Pink or some other artist that was not too memorable, but then again, I may have been thinking about something else. 

About 10 minutes to midnight, Ryan says that he has to go to the bathroom really bad.  Wow, can this night get any more romantic?  He's back in the bathroom forever, and pretty soon I'm thinking that he better at least hurry up enough to get out here and kiss me as we ring in 2002.  So, I tell him to hurry up, they're already counting.  Could I get more annoyed at this point?  Well, I hear the door open and there are only 3 seconds left as he walks down the hallway and comes around the corner in his white Saturday Night Fever tuxedo holding a dozen roses and drops to his knee as the clock strikes midnight, and I hear the best words I had ever heard in my life, "Marry me, please, be my wife."  YES!!!!  The fireworks blasting across the television had nothing on the ones that were going off in my heart.  He asked me!  I knew he would!  It couldn't have been more like him in any other way.  It was just for us, it was special, and it is our story forever.  I could never have foreseen the ups and downs that would follow, but the answer I gave him was the most certain answer I've ever given, and I would say yes again a million times over.  I am a very lucky girl!