Oh, it would be so nice growing old with you...

Since I realized that I had yet to share the story with everyone, I figured the electronic medium of my blog should suffice. So for those of you who would care to know, this is how I proposed to Amy Dixon:

Amy and I spent Christmas apart: Amy with her family in San Diego, and I with my family in Charleston. So we had made plans to have our Christmas together the following Monday, which was December 28. Since Amy still lives in Columbia, I drove down to pick her up, because I promised her I would take her out to dinner. When I picked her up, I asked if she would enjoy some seafood, to which she replied with an emphatic, “Yes!” I proceeded to tell her that her gifts would come in three phases, then handing her phase one of her Christmas presents. She unwrapped it, opened the box, and found a hardshell CD case, containing a few compilation CDs. Two of the said CDs were travel mixes I had made, but one CD was special, just for her. It was a selection of songs that either remind me of her, or that had played some part of our story through the years. We put on the “Amy’s Mix” CD and hit the road.

About twenty minutes down the interstate, Amy asked, “Are we going to Charleston?”

“Maybe,” I replied, in a taunting tone.

She followed with another question. “Are we going to Hyman’s Seafood?”

I replied again with another, “Maybe…”

However, my jeep was giving me trouble along the way, and I had to pull into a rest area to allow the engine to cool off enough so I could pour some water into the coolant system. What I hadn’t realized was that this would actually work towards my greater agenda for the evening. As we waited, I handed Amy phase two of her presents. The large, flat presents seemed to puzzle her, so she unwrapped them quickly, and found two large photo frames, with pictures of us throughout the years. Photographs from college, bible studies, a few from when we had dated a few years ago, a few resent photos, and a few spots still open. I told her the blank spots were there so we could fill up the frames with more pictures in the future. We talked about old times and laughed for a while. A few minutes later, I was able to pour in enough water to get us to Charleston, and we were back on our way.

As we approached the most beautiful city in America, we came upon exit 205, which leads to where we first met ten years ago; Charleston Southern University. The plan was falling into place, and the ring was beginning to weigh heavily upon me. My heart started racing, but I couldn’t let her know. I said we could stop to refill the water jugs, and take a few minutes to walk down memory lane. I thought I was being sly. She would later tell me she was pretty sure she knew what was coming.

As we pull onto campus and explain to campus security that we just want to visit our old college memories, my heart is about to leap through my chest. I was about to make the hugest leap of my life, and I still had no idea what to say. We walked first to Women’s South, just outside of Russell East. This was where we officially first met. It was Move In Day, 1999. I was helping people move in, and noticed a cute blonde (whose family had the most majestic green camper!) leave her guitar by her vehicle as her family carried her luggage upstairs. I grabbed it and followed her up, not wanting it to disappear while she was gone. ( I would spend the rest of the year trying to find her again, only to finally succeed at the Spring formal, but that is another story.) From here, we made our way towards the Lightsey Chapel reflection pond.

Now, back in college, we would walk around the pond late at night and talk about all sorts of things. The last time we had such a night, I had shared how I was attracted to her, only to receive the opposite response from her. But that night, on December 28, 2009, it was my mission to redeem that reflection pond. I gave her my coat to keep her warm, and just began to say whatever I could. It went something like this…

“Amy, over the years, you’ve played a lot of roles in my life. You’ve been a friend; a sister in Christ; someone who encourages me; someone who challenges me; and so much more. You’ve been there and known me in good times and bad. And a few years ago, I was terrified, because I thought I had lost you forever. I don’t want to make that mistake again.”

As I dropped to one knee and reached for the ring box, Amy asked, “Is this what I think it is?”

“You had better believe it! Amy Dixon, I want you to spend the rest of your life with me. Will you marry me?”

Amy wasted no time, replying with an emphatic, “Yes!”

We stood there for a while, enjoying the way the moonlight danced upon her engagement ring, excited about the future. We eventually made our way downtown for dinner, stopping to see my mom and aunt, calling her folks, and a few friends, and finally made our way back to our respective homes. But that is our story. A few people have said it seems like we were engaged so soon; I feel like I’ve been waiting for this moment for the past ten years. So now, as we make our way through wedding plans, pre-marital counseling, and advice from friends and family, I’ll end with this:

Amy Dixon, I love you, and I can’t wait to see how the next part of our story unfolds.