People who helped with the planning of the proposal will say that it was a month and a half in the making. In all honesty, it actually goes back a year and a half. A chance conversation with a co-worker about date ideas in Seattle introduced me to Llandover Woods. At the time, I knew I was seeing someone special, her name is Allison, and I wanted to surprise her with a nice afternoon hike and picnic by Puget Sound.  Fast forward to early February 2015 and I was certain that I had found the woman I want to marry.

   In planning the proposal, several things stood out that I wanted to make sure it involved to adequately represent how our life together. First, it needed to be outside and as close to water as possible. Second, our close friends and family needed to be involved from the beginning and throughout the process. Third, it needed to be have an element of surprise with a personal touch. So, having lagged on planning that romantic date, I knew the only place that would feel right would be Llandover Woods.

   Fast forward to Friday, April 10^th.  The evite and private Facebook message succeeded and did not result in anyone spilling the plan for the proposal on Sunday, April 12^th. I had planned with Robin and her husband Bryce, Courtney Ostrom and Danna Shanner to have a surprise engagement party in Shoreline. I had also planned with Susan Sherbek to disguise a photography outing with her and John Brossman on Sunday morning as the way to get Allison out of bed and to the greenspace. With a whirlwind of activity, I helped setup some of the decorations and did one last trip up to the highest point in Llandover Woods to leave a marker for everyone who was to meet us there on Sunday morning. Everything was going according to plan, the engagement ring was safely about my boat, the food and refreshments were ready, and the final logistics for the morning ‘photo shoot’ and brunch were confirmed.

   The one thing I had not planned for was Allison, and she would prove to be the X Factor that weekend. The night before the proposal she was not feeling well and I thought she may back out from the ‘photo shoot’ at the last minute.  Thankfully, she felt better Sunday morning and Mother Nature decided to cooperate. It had rained earlier that weekend and the rains had cleared out enough to make the morning somewhat sunny, if a little cool. However, Allison was not done yet. I convinced her to take a shower to feel better as I dressed for ‘brunch.’ So there I was in dark jeans and a nice shirt and she decides that because of the weather she is going to take a change of clothes and wear rain boots, leggings, and a baggy fleece jacket. Perhaps not the best outfit for engagement photos but we went with it.

   After picking up Susan and John, we drove to the back entrance to the greenspace, all the while doing my best, “are you sure it’s this right?” to disguise the fact I’d driven the route half a dozen times before. We get to the park at 10 and as Allison, Susan and John start taking pictures, I start texting to people at the other end of the park to let them know we had arrived while taking a few bad pictures with my phone as a cover.  The conditions were nice for taking good pictures and we slowly made our way around to the high point of the greenspace. By 10 minutes in, both Susan and I are trying to move things along as we knew people were waiting for us. Meanwhile, Allison and John are taking their time with their photography and waxing poetic about some photography concepts like depth of focus or the nice green tones of the latest fern that we’ve passed. Which by the way was indistinguishable from the first fifty odd ferns that we passed.

   We make it mostly up the trail leading to the highpoint and I’m thinking that everything is going well and we haven’t seen or heard anyone that were above us. Then, Allison does the unthinkable and starts walking up the hillside toward the top. Trying to keep my cool, I ask her where she was going. Apparently, she saw a large tree down the slope that she wanted Susan, John and I to go stand beside for some pictures. Mini-crisis averted and I quickly acquiesce to keep things moving along and whisper to Susan that everything was ready to go when we made it to the top. Allison then exclaims that she can hear us and at that moment I think the surprise may have been spoiled. But thankfully, she didn’t catch the incriminating part of the conversation. So, after the impromptu photo shoot, we walk up the stairs and to the top, where we were greeted by our close friends of both the two and four footed variety.

   At first sight, Allison paused thinking that we were interrupting some people taking pictures. She then recognized who were all standing there, patiently I might add as they waited 30 minutes and heard everything as we had come up the hill. The big moment had arrived and I did my utmost to remember the 2-3 things I needed to say to express my love and commitment. I told Allison that I know how much our friends and family mean to both of us which is why they were all there. I also said that she embodies all in what I am looking for in a partner and that I want to spend the rest of my life with her. I threw in quip about her love for the Red Sox and then, in the most suave way possible while being extremely nervous I took out the ring and took a knee. The look in her eyes when I asked her to marry me just reinforced that the decision I had made to commit to her. I saw her love, trust and openness to the words I had to say and her ‘I will,” are an affirmation that we are in this together going forward.
   After that, we took a few minutes to talk with everyone who had come out and then headed out to kick-off the engagement party. We had lots of good conversation, food, drinks, cigars with whiskey, cake and enjoyed the company of our friends to celebrate the first official step in Allison and my life together. Allison loved the Brooks Boston Marathon lobster shoes I had bought as an engagement gift and she thought that the day of surprises was over. Little did she know that I had one final surprise that day.

   We drove from Robin and Bryce’s house and drove to Innes Arden to spend the last few moments of light at a place where we could have some time alone. We parked at the gate and walked the half mile trail and through a small tunnel under the railroad. On the other side was the Innes Arden Neighborhood Beach with a private view of the Puget Sound. We watched the light fade away beyond the horizon and enjoyed the sounds of the water on the shore, the smell of the salt water and our company together as a newly engaged couple. I could tell by her voice that Allison had enjoyed every moment of the day. That, above all, made everything that had gone into planning that day more than worth it and has me looking forward to each and every day that I am able to spend with the woman that I love.