After we finished Justina drove me back to my apartment. My mom was in town for my graduation and she and I were planning on going to Oak Park for the day (which is one of the nice old towns/suburbs near Chicago). When I walked into my apartment Grant was in my living room. He said my mom decided to go to downtown Wheaton to shop for a little bit and that she wanted to meet up for lunch. He asked me if I wanted to go on an adventure to celebrate my graduation. I had the "maybe we're going to get engaged today" thought, which I quickly removed from my mind thinking there was no way it was going to happen today! Even though it was cold I was so excited to get out and do something!
The first place we went to was called Herrick Lake. It is the best place in the area to go cross country skiing and it's a fun place to bike to from campus... both things we have done together often. We got out of the car and walked around and he gave me a letter. He emphasized that he was wanting to make my graduation day really special. The first letter was about how we manage to find adventure in seemingly normal things and that it was in these adventures that he fell in love with me and is something he appreciates about our relationship.
Then we went to this other waterfall place in a town called Warrenville. It was kind of funny because it is this BEAUTIFUL place but it was also where we had our first fight. He gave me another letter that mentioned that fight. We have talked several times about how it is not important for us to try to never fight, but more that when we do have conflict, we do it well. The letter said that those moments are what grew us closer together which is very true!
And finally we went to the Morton Arboretum. This was the first place that we went on a picnic. The Arboretum is one of our favourite places to go. We walked around the lake to this little peninsula where we had come before and we were just talking about all kinds of random things. Once we got around the lake Grant handed me another letter. While I was opening that and trying to read it, I saw him bend down and pick up a cup of coffee that was in the snow. It was my favourite, a gingerbread latte from Starbucks. It was in a white cup so it totally blended into the ground! I though tit was really weird that there was coffee there and I think Grant even said "oh, what's this??" and then handed it to me. This all happened very fast and is a bit of a blur... I wasn't done reading the letter yet, but I saw him pick up a white box that was under the coffee in the snow. That was when I started freaking out and saying "oh my goodness, oh my goodness, oh my goodness" and when he opened up box and asked me to marry him! I said yes a whole bunch of times!!
This entire time our friends Dan & Sarah Taylor were there taking pictures and witnessed the whole thing. Dan was actually the one who waited to see us and then put the ring and the coffee out in the snow. Grant even saw Dan when we started walking around the lake, but I had no idea as I was just chatting away. Sarah and Maggie (their daughter) were in the restaurant part of the visitor centre watching behind the huge windows.
We walked around the Arboretum for a little longer. It was so cold but luckily I had my gingerbread latte (my favourite)! After we left I called my parents and we picked up my mom to go out for lunch with Dan, Sarah & Maggie.
That night was my graduation. The December graduation is much smaller than the spring one so the professors introduce us and tell a little about us. Scottie May was the one introducing me and she had seen me just before it started and I had told her we were engaged. Grant and I were both her research assistants on her sabbatical research project--so she likes to take some credit for our relationship. She even mentioned all of this in her introduction of me and everyone cheered (and I probably turned really red). It was WONDERFUL!
And after all that, Grant had invited a bunch of the past and current RA's over to my apartment to celebrate and to hear the story. There were lots of hugs and squeals. I'm telling you... if you ever want people to be excited with you about something you just need to find the Res Life people! :-) It was a TON of fun and I was totally exhausted at the end of it! :-)
So now we are working on making it through Finals week and starting the wedding planning. We are hoping to get married sometime in June in Northern California--but all of those details are still up in the air!
And for the ring Grant chose... We had gone to look at rings together so he knew some of what I liked. He also knew that I really wanted a sapphire ring! I absolutely LOVE it!
