Steve's version... During my backpacking trip with May and her friends in June, I had time to contemplate my future plans with May. I had carefully thought out the plan to propose to her on our 2nd year anniversary. I knew May is a bird lover, so I did my research on which ring I’ll choose to propose to her with. The day had finally come, exactly two months before our 2nd year anniversary was the day I had planned to put our “lunch date” on our Google calendar. My hope was that the lunch date would give us enough time to have a quick lunch together before I asked her to take a walk with me to our first date location where we sat at a bench talking about who we were and what our families were like. I saw the anxiety in May’s eyes when I had asked her to take a walk with me to the bench by Lake Como before her afternoon meeting. We even decided to move her car from near the zoo to the Como Lakeside Pavilion to save us about 15 to 20 minutes of walking. We walked quickly to the bench to sit down and absorb the pretty view and sunshine. I now have my own anxiety as we noticed a man talking on his phone on the bench in front of us and there were people walking by behind us. I kept telling myself that it has to be now or it could be a less romantic hour for me to get down on one knee to accomplish this significant life changer. Finally, I made my choice to be as brave as Frodo in LotR, stood up, faced her and got down on one knee. As I was giving her my reasons for why she is the one and only for me, my emotions overwhelmed me as I mentioned how much it meant to me when she was there for me on the day my dad passed away in my home. I proposed to her with a hummingbird ring and she said yes. We quickly rushed to her home and she was not late for her meeting. ------------------------------------------- May's version... Steve had “lunch” on our shared calendar for weeks. I didn’t think much of it — just our annual tradition. Each year, we want to take a selfie at the Como Zoo Conservatory, where we had our very first date. Simple. Familiar. Ours. We started with a fancy lunch of hotdogs and ice cream at Connie’s Creamy Cone, (we just made it before they closed for the season) then headed to the conservatory for our yearly photo. I’d even pushed an online work meeting to give us a little extra time, still completely unaware that anything out of the ordinary was coming. After our selfie, Steve suggested we retrace the route from our first date. I hesitated, worried about being late for my meeting. He looked a little disappointed, but instead suggested we drive to the bench where we’d once spent hours talking and getting to know each other. I agreed — still watching the clock. We sat there finishing our ice cream, and I couldn’t understand why Steve was taking his time. He kept insisting, “Just a little longer.” I noticed how nervous he was, glancing around, waiting. When the last people nearby finally left, Steve stood up, looked around one more time…and got down on one knee. It took a moment for it to sink in. Tears were shed (mostly Steve’s 😄), and I said yes. He proposed with a blue hummingbird ring — a nod to the moment early on when he learned I was a bird nerd and that one of my favorite bird is the Eastern Bluebird. When he told me he lived on Bluebird Trail, I knew it was a sign. Turns out, it was just the beginning of forever. Oh…and I wasn’t late for my meeting.