The proposal [ April 18, 2010 | 10:15am ] :

Grace and I ate breakfast with her parents later than we expected. We all prayed before we left. The closer we got to Seattle the clearer it was that we were not going to make it to Church on time. After deciding on watching a sermon when we returned to Grace’s apartment, I opted for a “spontaneous” trip to Kerry Park.

It was here I proposed. We were blessed with spectacular weather and (eventually) an unpopulated setting. Aside from the tangible benefits of this park there were two other reasons why this park was ideal for the first setting of our engagement. Firstly, this park was where Grace and I had our first (and most serious) discussion about our relationship and its suspected longevity. This discussion, and the subsequent changes, enabled Grace and I to grow together and make vulnerable our hearts to one another. Grace once asked me who I was, a seemingly normal question; however, she asked this after we had been dating for almost a year. I thought about it for a while and recalled the story of Boaz and Ruth. My answer came to me as I contemplated the characteristics of Boaz. “I am a redeemer.” The sense of identity coming from this statement contributed to my desire to propose at Kerry Park, since it was the setting for our first discussion of my failures.
Secondly, Kerry Park was a setting of one of Grace’s favorite days. She, Jessie and David went spent a great day together going from UW to Pike Place Market and finally to Kerry Park. Jessie and David are Grace’s closest friends. I thought` I should take advantage of their hard work and claim it as my own, so I recreated this day with just Grace and I. Originally I had planned on following their schedule, but eventually I thought better of it and decided to go in reverse order. This would allow Grace to flaunt her new ring around town and, most importantly, be surprised when I got on one knee.

I started our Pike Place play date the way any romantic endeavor should begin: with one dozen flowers (yellow tulips in this case). We walked around the market until we had worked up enough of a hunger to eat a light meal before moving on to our next location. We decided to lunch at Cafe Campange since the Pink Door was closed. The rest of our time at the market I am unable to comment on due to my lack of memory. Even if I had been asked about the happenings of our post lunch promenade I could not give you an answer because of the overpowering euphoria. It was sunny, I was walking hand in hand with the woman who would soon become my wife; what did the rest matter? Eventually we found our way to the car and to our next stop.

The University of Washington is special to us because that is the how and where we met. Campus in the spring is made particularly beautiful by the blossoming cherry trees. We were fortunate enough to have some blooming when we made our trip. There was a uniquely satisfying feeling that washed over me walking the campus with Grace, rings on our fingers, hope and expectation in our hearts. It was great. How much sweeter my time at UW with Grace that afternoon than all my years spent there alone.