The story of our charming prince and his lovely maiden continues at warp speed. Dan came out to Seattle to see his true love for Memorial Day weekend. Andrea had ordered up 5 days of perfect weather. The sun was shining, the breezes were warm, and the skies clear. Mt. Rainier was on brilliant display proclaiming the glory of God in all His majesty with His creation.
I got to the airport on Thursday and eagerly waited at the top of the stairs leading from the N terminal. Never had I realized before how many bald men there were in the world. Travelers spilled off the top of the escalators and headed toward their repsective baggage claim areas. I held my breath and waited with butterflies watching the crowds for the first sight of my love. Silly Andrea...Dan would not be coming off the escalator, not when there are stairs nearby. When finally the long wait and anticipation was over and Dan had arrived, he came bounding up the staircase taking 3 at a time and straight into my arms. The long wait was over!
I wasn't the only person who was eager to see Dan. Many friends and family were anxious to see this man who had brought so much joy into my life and left me floating in the clouds these past many weeks. I must admit, I was feeling quite selfish and did not want to share Dan during his short time here.
On Friday we headed out to Snoqulamie Falls. The day was gorgeous...perfect. We hiked down to the water's edge both commenting all along the way how this was the perfect date. We loved being outdoors together enjoying God's creation and doing something physical like hiking. The best dates are free. Neither of us wanted to go to a fancy restaurant or spend time watching a movie. When we got down to the bottom of the falls we went hopping and jumping across the rocks. The mist from the falls tickled our faces and cooled us off. Dan, wanting to impress me decided that he was then going to scamper across the rocks and go out to a large rock that sat in the middle of the river. We leapt from rock to rock, which kept getting farther and farther. Finally he took one great leap and slipped. He crashed into the water catching the rock in his side and twisting his shoulder. Wet and disillusioned I easily coaxed him back to the river bank. We sat on a rock warmed by the sun and laughed at what had just happened. Then we took up to some exploring. Dan found a nice rock, our rock. It was nestled between two large boulders giving us privacy from the many other people enjoying the falls that weekend. Dan got down on his knee and reaching into his pocket pulled out a stunning ring. He told me that he had known for some time that he was going to marry me. He told me how much he loved me. The moment was so joyful and at this point, a total blur! I don't remember all of his words, but they melted my heart. And as he placed the ring onto my finger I said, "Yes, Dan Mattingly. Yes, I will marry you." Of course we kissed and I rested in his strong arms just soaking in the moment.
We then headed back up the path. I couldn't restrain my joy. I felt like I needed to shout to the world..."I am in love! I am engaged! I am getting married to the man of my dreams!!!!" So there on the path we came across a nice looking lady with a large camera. I stopped her in her tracks, introduced myself and Dan and told her that we just got engaged. She congratulated us and called for her friend Genie who came over to admire the ring. Some other people coming up behind us offered their congratulations and I beamed!
When we got back to the top we sat down for a nice picnic consisting of roast beef sandwiches, potato salad, crackers-cream cheese-and chipotle sauce, fresh fruit and cheesecake. YUM!!!!
We headed back towards home, and in true Dan fashion, he took me to the gym and we lifted weights together to celebrate our engagement. It was actually fun and felt really good. We could have done anything and I would be happy, it was wonderful just being with my new fiance!
