Leap Day Engagiversary

Four years ago today, the love of my life asked me to become his wife.  Four years into our relationship on a day that comes around once every four years, he asked and I said yes.  So, you can imagine that Leap Day holds a lot of significance in our house.  It's the day when my life with my husband really began - the day that changed everything.  The day that will rank up there in my all-time favorite days, with our wedding day and our children's birthdays.  And I've been waiting four long years to be able to celebrate this day all over again.  


So much has changed us in the last four years, but we've really become a great team - we are stronger, we are wiser, we are sure in our relationship and we are ready to take on our new roles as parents!  And thinking back to this day four years ago, I can't help but be excited for that young couple, so in love, so hopeful, so clueless to all the wonderful things that would be happening to them in the next four years.  I'd love to go back in time and tell that girl to be patient and enjoy every minute of it.  To tell her what a wonderful man she's marrying, what an amazing father he's going to be and what a fabulous adventure they're going to have!  But I bet she already knew that.  :)


Well, I don't know about you, but I love engagement stories.  I think they say so much about a couple.  And ours is so "us."  So without further ado, here's our story...


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Friday, February 29, 2008 was Leap Day. Because it takes the Earth 365 days, five hours, 48 minutes and 46 seconds to travel around the sun, an extra day was added to the calendar every fourth year. It was the Romans who first designated Feb. 29 as Leap Day. In the 16th century, a more precise formula was adopted when the Gregorian calendar fine-tuned the calculations to include a leap day in years only divisible by four. Years which are evenly divisible by 100 are not leap years, unless they are also evenly divisible by 400, in which case they are leap years.However you look at it, Leap Day is a little gift, a special extra day in our lives which only happens every four years.

My Leap Day started out like any other day. Run in the morning, work, meeting over lunch, afternoon conference call, etc. Ryan and I had talked about going out for dinner that evening, but we both decided to get as much work done that day as we could to help with hours, since we have a few trips planned. He sent me an email around 5:00 saying that he was ready to go home and told me to hurry up and finish my work and meet him there. I told him to just go home without me and I’d be there as soon as I could. He called and emailed a few more times and I started to get a little ticked off that he just wouldn’t go home without me. What was the damn hurry?!

I left the office a little before 6:00. Traffic was bad, as usual. I stopped by Walgreen’s and got a bridal shower card and wrapping paper for a friend's bridal shower the next day.  I took my time and thought about when and where I was going to do my long run the next day. As I pulled into the garage I noticed the floor covered with something…”What did he spill?” was the first thing I thought. When I got out of the car I noticed they were rose petals. There was note on the door with my name on it, telling me to go inside and follow the notes.

Inside the house, the entire place was covered with rose petals. Thousands and thousands of them. They were all over the floors, the countertops, everywhere. And there were hundreds of tealight candles lit. There was music playing and pictures of us flashing on the laptop. I started crying immediately. Ryan was no where to be found. There was a bottle of Veuve champagne on the countertop and more notes. I made myself a glass of champagne and followed the love notes into the hallway.  

There, I found another note and a little plastic fishing pole next to the laundry shoot. The note told me to go “fishing” down the laundry shoot and see what I caught.  Of course, with Ryan, I should have known this would somehow involve fishing!

I made my way over to the laundry shoot and I cast my line down to our basement.  After a few minutes of  waiting I felt a tug on the line and I reeled up a card.  “Do you love me? If yes, cast again.” 

I cast again and I reeled up another card. “Do you want to spend the rest of your life with me? If yes, cast again.” 

I dropped my line down the shoot again.  By this time, I was smiling and crying and laughing. I couldn't believe this was really happening.  This time I reeled up a card and a little blue box with a pink bow on it.   The note said, "Will you marry me? If yes, turn around.”

I turned around and Ryan was standing there, smiling and laughing and crying. Of course I said yes! I jumped up and hugged him so hard I thought I’d strangle him. “Yes, yes, yes, yes, YES!!” We were both crying and laughing and completely freaking out. He finally pulled me away and asked, “Does it fit? Do you like it?” I started cracking up because I hadn’t even opened the box or seen the ring!! But when I did…WOW!! Perfection!!

We poured ourselves some champagne, made a toast to our future, gave each other a good long look and both started cracking up.  I finally said, “Oh my God, we’re getting married! Holy shit!  I have to call my mom!” So we both spent the next 45 minutes on the phone calling our families and closest friends, giving each other hugs and kisses in between calls. Finally he told me to go get ready; a limo would be picking us up at 8:00 to take us to our favorite restaurant. We had a romantic corner table in the back and a fantastic bottle of champagne waiting for us there, compliments of friends who had called ahead and ordered the surprise for us. 

At dinner he told me all about his secret proposal plan: how he got the idea, how many roses it took, how he made the music mix and the picture montage, how long he’d been planning, and how he pulled it off. Turns out he wasn’t at work waiting for me to leave, after all!! I was so surprised, which was exactly what he wanted. I couldn’t believe he went to so much trouble. And he couldn’t believe I stopped at Walgreen’s on the way home!! Dinner was fabulous (as always). Afterwards, a few close friends met us at the bar to toast our engagement and celebrate with us. More champagne, hugs, dancing, laughing and toasting. It was such an amazing night!!! Ryan, I love you more than you’ll ever know. I have been blessed beyond belief!! My cup runneth over.

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So there it is!  Anyone else have a fabulous Leap Day story?  I'd love to hear it!

Hope you all have a very merry Leap Day!