Engaged on our camping trip!

[JKohio]

Last week, the boyfriend and I went on a backpacking & canoeing trip in Ontario. It was beautiful! The leaves were just starting to change, making for great scenery. On the last day of the canoeing portion of our adventure, he proposed & I accepted! That morning, we were enjoying the gorgeous view of colorful hillsides as we stood at our lakeside campsite. As I was suggesting that maybe we should start packing it up, he said he ''wanted to show me something first''. As he started fumbling with the ID holder he wore around his neck, under his t-shirt, I realized what was happening, and all I could say was ''oh my God'' over & over, as tears started streaming down my smiling face. I think I was shaking. He pulled the ring out of a little round plastic box that was in the ID pouch, went down on one knee and said my name, and ''marry me''. I said ''yes''. It seemed a little more formal for the occasion than ''okay''. He slipped the beautiful solitaire on my 6-days-in-the-backwoods grubby finger. Hehe! There was lots of crying & hugging & kissing from both of us. I never expected him to bring it to Canada, let alone carry it around for a week in the backwoods! It was the BEST surprise ever. I was absolutely ecstatic (sp?)! He said that all week he''d been hoping that I wouldn''t notice it because he wouldn''t have been able to come up with a cover story. Luckily, I had no idea.

The ring is a lovely simple solitaire - round, brilliant cut .55 carat diamond, I, Si1 in white gold (with a little yellow gold on the swirl).
Back in April, we shopped together & I picked out the setting & the diamond, but didn''t see the finished ring until Friday. I love, love, LOVE
it! We haven''t set an actual date for the wedding, but it will be sometime before September 2005.

If I can figure out how to post photos on here, I''ll do that soon!

 

[Gale]

That sounded like a wonderful proposal. The weather last week was sparkling, at least here in Southern Ontario, and I hope you had the same in Algonquin Park. Congratulations to the two of you!

 

[JKohio]

I hope this works. Here's a view of my ring.

 

[JKohio]

The front view...

 

[JKohio]

Here it is on my finger (at long last)...

 

[JKohio]

Thanks, Gale! The weather was indeed beautiful all week... no small miracle given my general bad luck with camping trips & rain. Hehe!

 

[MelissaSue]

YAY JKohio!

What a great way for a proposal! Your ring is beautiful! I love it!

Melissa

 

[Gale]

Nice ring too!

 

[JCJD]

Congratulations!!!

What a great proposal, and your ring is beautiful!!!!!

Is it a custom design?

How was trekking that canoe across the park?

JCJD

 

[Bagpuss]

Congratulations! Your ring looks quite unique and very beautiful.

We went camping on our honeymoon. There's a lot to be said for the great outdoors!

It didn't do us any harm; we've been married 28 years.

 

[Tybee]

Hurrah Jkohio,
You brought tears to my eyes! What a lovely setting! It's so unique and it looks lovely on your hand. (Way to clean up the nails after the camping trip

)
Tybee

 

[quaeritur]

Awww... what a great story, and very unique ring (I mean that in a good way!

)

Best wishes!!!

 

[JKohio]

No, the ring isn't a custom design... just a lucky find. In the 'tray' of settings at the jewelry store, we were actually BOTH drawn to it. It was the only one like it in the box. I love rings with a little curve to their design. Simple, yet dressy at the same time, I think.

I like the fact that it is a solitaire with a twist, so to speak.

We only had to haul the canoe through one portage on the way to the site and again on the way back. Turns out that a Kevlar canoe 'only' weighs 55 pounds. He easily took care of that.

 

[JKohio]

An update... we've talked it over & decided to go for an April 2005 wedding after all! (That was kinda the plan since last spring, but FI waited so long to 'pop the question' that we weren't sure if we could pull it off.) Anyhow, planning is coming along pretty well (scary!

).

We lined up the hall & church this week & I bought my dress & veil last night. Talk about crazy whirlwind of planning! So much to do...