Getting Hitched

Our first date, so fitting for us both, was an Irish Pub knocking back a few top shelf whiskeys. The conversation was flowing, sparks were flying, so a few whiskeys turned into a few more...

The destination was Colorado for the first of many travel softball tournaments Madison would end up following Bret to. With enough free time to explore some breweries, the aquarium, and attend a Braves game at the Rockies stadium, it became so much more! For the first time, Bret attended a live Braves victory, and even caught a game ball from one of the players. The elation continued with some celebratory craft brews with a rooftop view. Hand in hand, exchanging dreams and visions for the future, we each proclaimed the love we had both felt for some time.

Bret booked us for a dinner at Cooper's Hawk, a new one just up the street from us, to celebrate two years together. The staff, seeming a little too excited for a dating anniversary, and led us to a table with two glasses of champagne. Not something that seemed out of the ordinary for this place, though! At a table nearby, a woman sitting alone in business attire stood out. She seemed to have just come from a long day at the office to enjoy a nice glass of wine and a meal. The wine and champagne were going down smooth, and Bret began to share some sentimental thoughts about our relationship and how bright our future was. I shared some thoughts of my own, but had easily bounced around a few other topics, like musing about my desire for some dessert after a meal that had yet to arrive. As if on cue, the waitress arrived with a plate containing a sliver of chocolate cake. I laughed at the irony, still thinking it was a gift for our anniversary, until I noticed the frosting had spelled words around the plate's edge. I let out a gasp as soon as I read the words "Will you" As I let out a "no.." in disbelief, Bret was getting down on one knee, and the woman at her laptop rose up with a camera in hand. My hand came up to cover my mouth from a few shocked profanities, staring in sheer disbelief at the shimmering diamond in the little red box in his hands. I believe he had asked me to marry him at this point, but I couldn't hear a thing over the screams of joy and fireworks going off in my head. Scrambling out of the booth in what is never a graceful maneuver, I exclaimed "Yes!" The surprise was not over after he slipped the ring on my finger, as he turned to reveal that one of my best friends, Raquel, was the "work attire" woman, undercover to capture the moment!