A special place...a thunderstorm...a thirsty pallet...2 fish caught & 2 trips later...I was engaged!

I am linking up with Mama Kat for her Pretty Much World Famous Writer's Workshop!

Assignment- Married? Tell us the story of how the question was popped.

The story of my proposal mirrors just about every monumental moment in my life...complicated but special.  Nothing ever seems to happen seamlessly in my world and I am totally "ok" with that.  The best times in my life are peppered with tales of folly and incident.  It makes my "history" more rich with excitement for storytelling.  LOL!

I invite you to come take a stroll down memory lane with me as I recall my marriage proposal....

It was July 2003.  Dave and I had already been to the "diamond store" and my ring had been selected and purchased, back in May.  I wasn't sure if the proposal was ever going to come but since I had pretty much dragged him kicking and screaming to get my ring, I figured I'd let him work out the details in asking me for his hand in marriage.  It was the least I could do.

"Da Camp"
 Northern Ontario

We were up at my parents camp in Northern Ontario.  A trip we had and continue to make since we first started dating in 2001.  Dave is an outdoorsman at heart and I have always loved my time spent there as a child and into my adulthood.  The fishing is sparse but being surrounded by the calm and beauty of nature is our "once a year reprieve" from the life we live in the city.  "Da Camp" sits on Lake #7 and at one time it was only accessible by float plane.  Once the mine went in, a road was built and we were able to get their by driving 2 hours, then boating across one lake, wading through a creek and then crossing Lake #7 to our camp.  We can now drive in with Ranger's from the road.  I guess you could say it is isolated but it has all the comforts of "home". 

Anywho, my dad and maternal grandfather had discovered a little lake behind where the camp sits.  They "unofficially" named it "Greenall Lake" after my Gramps (his last name), who has since passed away.  One afternoon, Dave asked me to head to that lake to go fishing.  Back then, this raised no suspicion we often joke to this day that he pretended to like socializing and I pretended to like fishing in order for the other to fall in love.  So. Not. True.  I like fishing.  Kinda.  LOL!

By the time we hiked the path to "Greenall Lake", an ugly overcast had set in.  I recall asking Dave if maybe we should turn back because it looked like a storm was coming "in".  He insisted we "set sail" and give our luck a try.  We weren't on that lake for more than 15 minutes when the thunder started rolling and I started panicking.  After all, we were in a small aluminium boat.  Not smart, should the lightening start striking.  Dave seemed  less concerned than I was which looking back I should have known something was "up" because if anyone out of the two of us is going to be cautious...it's him.  Hands down.  However, once the rain started to fall, he decided it was in our best interest to head back to the safety of the shore.   

The next day, Dave was all too excited to get back to "Greenall Lake" to fish.  I protested because the skies still looked a little gray and uncertain to me but after pleading with me to go, I caved and reluctantly trekked back to the place that had almost been our demise less than 24 hours earlier.  (Dramatic. I know.) We trolled the lake for at least an hour before my pallet became tacky and I declared that I was thirsty.  I, of course, had not thought to bring drinks and as it turned out, neither had he.  We hadn't even gotten a bite so I suggested we head back but Dave wouldn't hear of it...we HAD to catch a fish.  I spent the next 1/2 hour  complaining about how I was sure to die of thirst before we caught a fish and then "BAM" I got a bite...then "BAM" Dave got a bite. 

Yes!  He Kisses the Fishes...LOL!

As Dave took the fish off our lines he stopped to admire them.  He usually admires any fish caught but he was especially taking his time with these ones, which was really annoying me.  I was thirsty.  We caught our fish.  Time to go.  He released both fish back into the lake while I sang my song of victory, "We caught a fish and it's time to go home so I can have a drink!".  He turned and looked at me with eyes that made me go silent.  He said softly, "Now it's time."

He reached into his backpack and grabbed THE "little white box" and a sheet of paper.  Before I could even process what was happening, he was down on one knee in that little boat of ours and began reading the most amazing thing I have ever heard.  I'm going to keep those words for "just me" because they were something very special and meant for my ears only but what I will tell you is that it all ended with both of us in tears, embracing, a ring on my finger and a drink in my hand (He had thought to bring a bottle of champagne to celebrate).

I didn't get the marriage proposal that I had been dreaming of since I was a little girl.  Nope.  I didn't. 

This proposal far exceeded anything I could have ever imagined.  Aside from the thunderstorm and the part where I was dying of thirst...this was one of the most memorable, romantic moments in my life.  The man I was going to spend the rest of my life with had told me all the reasons WHY he loved me.  The words my husband spoke to me that day are the words I recall when times are good and more importantly, when times are challenging because that is what he asked me to do on the day I accepted the honor of becoming his wife.