We're getting Married!

Austin had asked me to block off a Saturday far in advance, which ultimately gave it away. I didn't want to spoil the surprise for myself so I didn't ask any questions. He took me to Long Beach, one of my favorite cities, and said we were going to brunch, we arrived at our brunch spot and within minutes he had left for the restroom for a very long time, (turns out he was on the phone with the photographer finalizing the last details). When he returned we finished brunch and we headed to the gardens nearby to walk around, we parked and began our stroll, the gardens were beautiful, buzzing with energy, birds chirping, it was bright and warm, a perfect day for the gardens. We walked over our first bridge and I stopped him to point out the smelly turtles. lol We laughed and continued walking, chatting about the day, if he was nervous, I couldn't tell. Through the beautiful flowers and shadowed treeline we came to another bridge. We stepped onto the bridge and Austin abruptly stopped, grabbed both my shoulders with his hands and repositioned me (now knowing to make sure I was in the right spot for the photographer). I could see he was nervous and starting to get teary eyed when I yelled "omg right now?! it's happening right now?!" He got down on one knee and presented the most beautiful ring, we both cannot remember a word he said, we both blacked out. But the part we both remember is that he asked if I would Marry him, and I said YES!  Immediately as he got up and we began to hug, people around us clapped and cheered, the photographer zoomed around capturing the moment and our minds and hearts were so blissfully happy. The surprises continued, he said he had dinner plans back in Venice and we drove there while calling family and friends and sharing the exciting news. We arrived at a beautiful outdoor restaurant right on the beach, as we walked towards the back patio we were showered with cheers and applause as some of our friends and family were there to celebrate with us! We spent the night retelling the story of the day, dancing, laughing and sharing the curveballs that were sent Austin's way (you should ask him about that!).  It was the most perfect, happy and soft our hearts have ever felt, the best proposal.