An Unexpected Expected Proposal
Thanksgiving 2009
“I have a surprise for you,” he told me.
Butterflies filled my stomach. FINALLY. He had changed his mind. He was going to propose before he left for Iraq. This was GREAT.
“Oh, really?” I asked.
“Yes,” he said. “I’ll give it to you when you get here.”
Talk about the longest six hour drive of my life. I was so excited. It was going to be official. I was going to be the soon-to-be Mrs. Trice. YES. This was happening.
The butterflies flew like crazy as I drove up his parents’ driveway. It was happening. Thanksgiving at his parents’ house and he was going to ask me to be his wife. I pulled into a parking spot and climbed out of the car. Tim and his sister Sam came out and greeted me. Tim kissed me, shoved a box in my hand, grabbed my bag, turned, and walked back to the house. I was confused. I know I asked for a unique to us proposal, but shoving it my hand and practically running away from me was NOT what I had in mind. I opened the box and looked inside. I did not see the expected sapphire engagement ring I’d hinted at, but a claddagh ring with a peridot stone as the heart. This could still be it, I thought. He knows I love that we share a Celtic ancestry. I opened the letter that was folded up small and under the ring in the box.
Dear Maura,
I want you to know how much I love you and how sorry I am that I have to leave you. You have made me so happy this last year that I can’t believe it has already been over a year since that day I watched you pull in at Jessica’s. I have so many wonderful memories from this last year that I’ll never forget and can’t wait to start making more when I get back. I love you dearly and want you to think of me whenever you look at your new claddagh. I had them put my birthstone as the heart to remind you that you have mine. I love you and I don’t want you to forget.
Tim
I slipped the ring on my left ring finger. The letter didn’t say one way or the other that it was a proposal. It still could be. After greeting everyone and we finally had a moment alone I asked the question that was burning me up inside.
“So… does this mean we’re engaged?” I whispered.
“No. It’s my promise to you that I’m coming home to you.”
I rolled my eyes and huffed. “An engagement ring is also a promise that you’re coming home to me.”
“Not yet,” he said.
Christmas 2009
“I got you something you’ve been asking for,” he said.
My heart started racing. YES! Even though it was cliché and I wish it wasn’t at Christmas, THIS was going to be it. NOW is when he was going to ask me to be his wife. THIS was IT.
He handed me a too large to be a ring box present. My heart fell a little. Maybe he was going to make me work for it. I HAD given him the wrapping treatment our first Christmas and now he was exacting revenge. I pulled the wrapping paper and saw Dan Brown’s The Lost Symbol.
“See,” he said. “I paid attention and got you the book you’ve constantly been talking about reading while I was gone.”
I smiled weakly. Not what I really wanted…
Early January 2010
“I have a question for you.”
“If it involves engagement without you actually proposing keep your mouth shut,” I snap.
“No, I was going to ask if you were going to send anymore packages because they’re starting to stop our mail where we’re getting ready to leave.”
“No, I just have some letters. Please, don’t bring up engagement again until you’re seriously going to ask.”
“Okay. Well, we’re going out into the field for the rest of the week so we won’t be able to talk much cause I won’t be able to charge my phone.”
“Fine. I’m going to look at hotels in Gulfport for when you’re on pass.”
“Okay. I love you.”
“I love you too.”
Mid January 2010
Hello my love,
When I got back last night at 11 I found a package of letters from you waiting on me. You make me so very happy. I know that you think that you are the luck one, but I’m the lucky one cause I found you. We are getting the day off today while the other two platoons go out to the range today. It’s so nice to just relax. Just wish I could be doing it with you maybe on a beach somewhere warm. Makes me think about our trip to see Becky when it was 10 degrees outside. I have loved all the time we have gotten to spend together. I want to thank you so much for all the pics you have taken and for making the scrapbook. It’s very nice to see all the reminders of the fun times we have spent together over the last year. I know I just told you on the phone but I’m going to tell you again, I love you so very much. I can’t wait to come home to you when this is all over and continue our lives together. Well, I have to go. My turn in the gunner’s hatch. I love and miss you very very much.
Tim
(a few letters combined)
After reading his letters from while he was in the field, I could tell something in him had changed. I refused to get my hopes up again though.
24 January 2010
Another day of texting while I was in Tennessee and he was in Camp Shelby, Mississippi. Teasing back and forth was going on and then I got this:
Cause I was wondering if you would marry me.
My jaw dropped, I jumped off my bed, tore out of my room and down the hall to the living room where my mom was sitting.
“MOM! I swear if he is teasing again I am NOT going to Mississippi to see him!” I shout and shove the phone in her hands.
“Have you asked if he’s serious?” she said.
“I’m getting ready to.”
If you’re joking, I’ll see you when you get home from Iraq. I won’t come to MS.
No. I’m serious.
I’m serious. If this is a joke, I will not drive to MS next weekend.
I wasn’t telling anyone til next week when we are on pass. Wanted to wait to ask you til then, but kinda hard to come up with a reason why you would need to bring your birth certificate.
1 February 2010
After going ring hunting at Zales, we bought my bridal set and his wedding band. We drove down to the beach in Gulfport, MS and walked along one of the piers. At the end of the pier, Tim made it official. He got down on one knee, opened the ring box, and asked me to marry him. Of course, my answer was still YES!
3 February 2010
We got up super early, piled me, Tim, my best friend Amanda, and his two best friends Tom and Jared in Tom’s car and drove to New Orleans. We drove to the Algiers Courthouse, filled out our marriage license and got an appointment to get married that afternoon. (Yay no wait periods!) At 12PM CST, I married my best friend. After we were married, we went and celebrated in the French Quarter. Lunch at Pat O’Briens and beignets at Café du Monde.
Seventy-two hours later, he had to report back for duty before flying out to Iraq. He got home just shy of our six month anniversary. Miraculously, his year long deployment was cut down to eight months. (: There was a time that I dreamed of the big flashy wedding, but I love that we got married in a city that was in the middle of being reborn. It seems perfect. We may still eventually do a vow renewal, because we kinda did shock everyone by eloping. (Lots of family rumours that it was a shotgun wedding. It WASN’T) We also had planned on keeping it secret and having the big wedding when he got home, but I couldn’t keep it quiet. I was too excited. Never in my wildest dreams did I ever imagine myself to be a military spouse. In fact, in HS, I told my best friend that I would never be with someone in the military. (He was calling to tell me he enlisted in the Marines) He STILL enjoys rubbing that in my face. Being a military wife is never easy, but for that one day. I did have that fairytale wedding day. I married a man in uniform. I am an Army wife.
I'm sorry but was that not one of the cutest, sweetest things ever? When I read it I literally said "Aaaww!!" several times! I hope you guys liked it too!
Thank you so much Maura for sharing your story with all! I loved it and the fact you were willing to share it means so much! Hugs!
Don't fret, there will be a feature tomorrow as well! Yay! Make sure to come back and see it!!
There's also the giveaway still going on! Don't forget to enter!
~Kayla~
Aww that was super sweet! You have very strong patience to wait so long for a proposal. I probably would've strangled my hubs by then lol!
ReplyDeleteThis is so cute!! I wouldn't have been able to wait so long LOL. From Thanksgiving all the way to the end of January? That's like two whole months! D: But yay, he finally did it! Congrats! <3
ReplyDelete