January 9th, 2009
Christopher asked...

I know that all women say this but I really had no idea that he was up to anything !!! I had given up on my quest for a ring around November. Christopher had taken me ring shopping before our trip to Hawaii in September, so for the three months after I felt it could happen at any moment... but then our anniversary came and went... my birthday... came and went... then Thanksgiving and Christmas... and New Years. All hope was lost...

It was the last thing on my mind... It was a Friday... But not just any other day... It was the 56th birthday of my late God father. He had passed away two years ago... And on this particular day I rather have stayed in bed all day and wait for the next day to come. But when Christopher got home that day I should have known, he told me that he wanted to cheer me up and take me to dinner. So I put some makeup on and trotted down the stairs in my sweats ... He took one look and me ... And said... "Honey... Why don't you put on a dress... It will cheer you up," So I did... And didn't think anything of it. We then got to the restaurant,  oordered our favorite foods but when the food came Christopher did not touch his plate. When I asked what was wrong he simply said that he wasn't feeling good. I bought it and thought it would be best to just hurry along and go home.

The whole way home not two words were said. So when we got home and I walked through the door... I couldn't believe my eyes. There were candles and rose petals everywhere !  I thought for sure that my parents were going to pop out at any minute with a birthday cake to celebrate my Godfathers birthday ... It did not even click in my mind what was going on.

There was a very large picture of my Nino and I and a letter underneath it. Christopher urged me to read it. It was a letter "from my God father" that Chris had written to me. This instantly brought tears to my eyes... I could barley go on... When I finished the letter and turned around Christopher was on a bended knee... With the most breath taking ring I had ever seen. It took me a minute to process what was taking place. My heart was pounding so hard I could barely hear what he was saying to me. I broke down in tears ... And instead of saying 'Yes!!!" I said... " I know this isn't what you want to hear but I feel like I am going to be sick..." And Christopher laughed and said " I will take that as a yes?"

Later I found out that Christopher had earlier that day asked for my father's permission for my hand in marriage. I love the fact that he not only included my father but also my God father. If my Nino was still alive today his blessing would have meant the world to me, and by proposing to me on his birthday he was able to make that happen. It also wouldn't have been possible with out the help of his brother Ronnie, his wife Natalia and their daughter Taryn who helped decorate our living room with all the roses and candles !