Yesterday Elena and I celebrated our two-year anniversary. We had a wonderful time and I can't wait to spend 60+ anniversaries together. She is my best friend and the love of my life.Since I don't have the old blog active anymore, here's The Proposal
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A single comment on a blog changed my life forever. Almost 5 months later, I'm engaged to the woman of my dreams, the woman I always prayed for. We have only seen each other in person for about 13 days, but we knew early on that we would get married, that we were meant to be together.
"When you know, you know." People always told me that, and now, when it happened to me, I know that this is true. The proposal itself took some weeks of preparations. All the details had to be right. Elena loves riding bikes, going on scavenger hunts and adventures, and she has a love for gnomes. A perfect proposal to my love had to include all these things. Also, for every clue she got right in the scavenger hunt, she would get small prizes, leading to finding the gnome, and the main surprise; the ring. So, I bought small prizes to give her, plus I practiced getting down on one knee a couple of times.
The clues had a riddle and pictures (that I took a week
earlier) to guide her along the way. It was a challenge and a risk to plan such a thing in a place where she had never been before, but my love is a smart girl. The pages were burned along the edges to recreate an ancient map, because that's how gnomes do it.
The hunt
At first, she had to locate the seventh tree to the east, there she would find the first clue. There was a small shovel and with it she would dig to find the clue from Gnomie (the gnome). I asked her to turn around, close her eyes and count to five. Then I gave her a kiss as the first prize.
Originally it was going to be a bottle of water, a Florida brand, but we had to drink that earlier because, well, we were thirsty. This clue, then led her down a unpaved road. There was a picture of Gnomie standing on it. A nice walk down the path took her to where the second clue was. It was hidden behind some bushes, next to a clearing by the lake. My love found it quickly and was excited for the next clue. The prize: She turned around, closed her eyes, counted to seven and then I gave her a copy of the movie Amelie. One of her favorites, which she didn't have.
The third clue was a bit tricky, for it was glued to a half-foam ball and was floating on the water, right next to a beware of the alligator sign. No worries, I haven't seen a gator there for years and the clue was right by the shore. For the prize, she turned around, closed her eyes and counted to ten, then I gave her an invitation to dinner with me (not Gnomie) at a fancy restaurant.
The third clue spoke of transportation to arrive at the final destination. My love thought it meant driving in my car. However, right next to where we were standing, there were two bicycles beneath the "Beware of Alligator" sign. To Elena's amazement, I unlocked the lock, and we rode down a beautiful trail that led to a beach. It is an amazing sight. At one point you are in what seems to be a jungle with a very narrow paved road, but once the trail ends, the sun light greets you with the sight of the bay and a beach.
At last, we arrived at the final destination. There was a beach chair with a towel covering something. Elena, my love, looked around for Gnomie and found him hidden in a small palm tree. Once she found him, I asked her to turn around and to count to 12, so that she could receive her final prize. At 12 seconds, she turned back around, opened her eyes and saw me down on one knee with an engagement ring. "Will you marry me?" I asked.
She said yes.
We celebrated by uncovering the wine and two glasses that were hidden beneath the beach towel. It was a beautiful moment. I will never forget it. I still can't believe I'm engaged! I have waited all my life for someone like her! Elena and I are not perfect people, but we serve a perfect God rich in mercy and grace. I had no idea that by clicking on her blog, I would be marrying her in the fall of this year. The hardest part is being apart until we get married. Fortunately, as I mentioned, the wedding is going to be very soon. And God will continue to show us His grace and mercy because of His goodness.
Our lives feel like a movie. And maybe they are. Maybe this is all a movie with many plot twists and characters and God as the director. I believe ours is a wonderful romance film written and directed by Love Himself. With every passing day Elena and I love each other more and more. Isn't that how love is supposed to be? Isn't love supposed to be an immeasurable thing? Who says there is a limit? Does God have a limit? Isn't God love?
Love, love and love. Love Doesn't Let Go.
The Proposal
