We had met at a mutual friends party a couple times, and seemed to have a connection. Kellie asked one of our mutual friends for my number, who then turned and asked me if I was okay with that exchange. Heart pounding in anticipation, she texted to see if I wanted to get coffee. We were both meeting with the intention of nurturing a possible friendship. We met on a beautifully sunny late Spring day. I'm not sure who suggested Edmonds, but we met at Red Twig Cafe and walked my dog Walter to the beachside dog park. There was an instant connection. The conversation flowed and we talked about a myriad of topics. We sat on a driftwood log for over 3 hours getting to know each other. As we made our way back to our cars after our 30 minute coffee hang out lasted almost 6 hours, I found myself wanting to catch her fingers in mine to hold her hand, or to brush back the hair on her cheek as the wind picked up. And all of the sudden we were beside her car, and I was nervously saying goodbye and had the biggest urge to kiss her. The tension was real. In the spirit of sticking with the intention of friendship, we gave each other a hug and went our separate ways. The next day Kellie texted to ask what type of relationship was I looking for, friends, or something more. I responded that I am open to anything. At which point she asked if she could take me out on a date. On our official first date, we talked about how magical our time was on our coffee get together and how much it felt like a date. We both admitted to wanting to kiss the other person during that long carside goodbye. Then, she leaned in to kiss me; and it was the sweetest, most passionate, toe curling kiss. The spark was nurtured into a beautiful flame.
Little did I know what was going to unfold, it was all so magical. We had moved into Kellies apartment after dating for a year and a half (which, for two women is over a decade). We had debated if we wanted to rent or buy the next place we lived, so we started daydreaming and talking over our options. After a couple months, we found a sweet home, walking distance from a park with a lake. We could see how beautifully our family could grow. Once it was ours, i came up with the idea to have friends come over to infuse our walls with love and intention, a pre-move in gathering of near and dear friends. My sister Jenny and cousin Britni came up to write intentions on the wall, little did I know the true reason for their visit. Britni had treated us to zip lining before we went to our new home. I was a busy bee trying to prep appetizers and get everything ready for our friends to come. As friends came in, I handed them a marker and asked them to write intentions on our wall. As we did, i could feel the excitement building, but thought it was all the love! At some point Kellie asked me to show a group of friends the house and tell them about my gardening plans (she knows how to get m talking). After explaining the backyard intentions, one of my friends came outside and said that Kellie wanted to talk with me. Then she ran into the dinning room. So, i ran too. And as i cut around the corner there she was, my love bug, speechless on one knee, below a sign that said “will you marry me?” I was in disbelief. I was so surprised. For one of the first times in my life words escape me. I think it was my sister who snapped me out of it by asking if i was going to answer. And i did. YES! I was so happy i gave her a million kisses and my heart was pounding through my chest. I was engaged. I was engaged to the most amazing human. I wish you could have all been there to see it. See, magic