Chronicles of a Fake Grown-Up: I sparkle...

Sometimes I get in this fantastic rhythm in which I keep up with my blog. I offer witty stories, cute photos, and at least bearable updates on my attempt at an adventurous life. And inevitably I always lose my rhythm and fall into a funk of not posting for weeks or months at a time. And sometimes you are just so fortunate to have a life event amazing and wonderful enough to catapult you back into blogging and sharing your life again.

A few weeks ago, my life changed in a wonderful and spectacular way.

The day was planned. I was going to go to Downtown Baltimore for the Sailabration. The Sailabration was the bicentennial of the War of 1812, and of course the creation of our beautiful Star Spangled Banner. (For those of you that don't know this about me, I actually really dig history, and although I am not the most patriotic person in the world, I am pretty freaking proud of this country and my right to be an American. I digress...). So you can imagine that a day to celebrate this point in America's history while featuring Naval Ships from all over the world at Inner Harbor, a Blue Angels airshow, a sunny warm summer day, and fireworks sounds like a perfect win for me. So Kevin and I planned to go to Baltimore and meet up with some friends for the Air Show.

A couple weeks before the Sailabration, Kevin asked if we could go to Annapolis in the morning before we went to Baltimore. It made complete sense, I LOVE being in Annapolis and right along the water there. It's out in generally the same direction as Baltimore from DC, and we had gone there a couple times before, and even have a favorite brunch place there. As far as I was concerned, it was a good excuse to go hang out in the water, have brunch, and enjoy a quiet morning before the hustle and bustle of downtown Baltimore.

Kevin came to pick me up around 7ish that morning, and we headed out for the day. We had coolers packed, sunglasses on, and even a CD that he made specially for me (cue: AWWWWWWWW). We got down there and headed on over to this park that we had gone to before. There is this beautiful little bench right along the water and it is out of the way enough that no one really comes to bother you. You can just sit nearby and take it all in. So here we are bright and early along the water in Annapolis. (Melt my heart now.) Kevin had brought his big clunky camera bag, which I always make fun of him for bringing, because we never seem to take pictures when he brings his camera. (Let me assure you - that day was the same.) What I didn't realize though was the the camera bag was a decoy for him to fit a perfect little ring box inside without me ever suspecting.

We sat on the bench. We joked and laughed and talked about the times we had been there before. Like the time we went to watch the sunrise on his birthday (in January) and almost froze to death before we realized that we actually didn't have a good view of the sunrise there. So we drove a couple blocks up and watched the sunrise (while still shivering) from a different spot. Or like the time last summer when we went there, and sat at the same park and for about 2 hours sitting there, I had a mental war with myself to tell this guy that I loved him. (Which I chickened out and didn't even do that day - but it made for a better story anyway.) We pulled out a log book attached to the bench, started flipping through stories people left when they found this park. Some about heartbreak, or family vacation, or quiet times of contemplation, or seeing Venus orbit. After reading through stories, we went to write our own, but Kevin said he had something he wanted to do first. I gave him the most confused look, and then the next thing I know he is down on one knee... and he has something in his hand... it looks like... it is... OMG he's asking me to marry him! (That was kinda my train of thought.) Of course I said yes and cried and kissed him.

His brother happened to be there snapping photos and showed up a couple minutes later. I sat there with my fiance grinning like an idiot, taking in the rest of the morning of being there with him by the water. Then we went to breakfast, then headed into Baltimore for friends and festivities. It was the most wonderful day, and included so many of my favorite things - he did so well, and it has so far been the best day of my life. I am very excited, and needed to share with anyone who may stumble upon this blog how awesome and fantastic my fiance is, and how happy I am to be the girl that gets to end up with him.