It's been a while since I have posted but I will fill you in on all the juicy details. This year started off with a BIG surprise.. but before, I get into the details, let me give you the background. For about 6 months, I had planned a trip to Italy with my boyfriend. I have never been abroad before and it was on my bucket list to visit Italy. I wanted to experience my culture and go back to my "roots". My trip was planned the week of Christmas and New Year's Eve, so that means I would be away from family and friends for the holidays. Being away for Christmas is a big deal, especially for an Italian household where Christmas Eve and the seven fishes is a big deal, a really big deal.
So to make it up to my family, I had promised to get the family together for a pre-holiday celebration dinner before I went away on vacation. We got my boyfriends family and my family together for a big meal hosted at my boyfriend's brother's house. To my surprise, my boyfriend had other ideas in store.
Hours before our family dinner, my mother said she was going to leave early to bring the food and help set up. I offered my assistance, but she eagerly said no. "Stay home with your father since he doesn't know where they live. You both can drive together." ... Believable story, so I stayed home.
Moments before we leave the house, my dad is playing sick (or maybe he was actually sick) and we are running late for dinner. I am ready on the couch and my dad is taking his sweet time blowing his nose and getting ready. Finally, my dad gets himself together and we are ready to go.
I drive to the house, and my dad asks, "Which one is their house?"..."The gray one" ...before I can even park.. my dad hops out of the car and runs to the front door. I thought his behavior was strange but I brushed it off and didn't analyze it. So I park the car, get all the presents out of my car, and approach the front door.
Oddly, everyone is standing by the front door, staring at me as I take my jacket off.. "Um. hi guys...Why are you guys looking at me like...." and before I can process what was happening, my boyfriend pops out behind the front door and asks me to marry him.
Honestly, I was SO surprised. Of course, I immediately started crying with happiness (I am such a sap). I really had no clue! If I were to guess when it would happen, I thought it would happen on our trip but I am so glad it happened before so my family and friends could witness our engagement. It was such a special time and it also made our trip to Italy that much more special.
Stay tuned for my next post with more details about my favorite experiences on our trip and more pictures of course :)
I want to hear from you! Please comment:
- Did you love reading about my engagement story? Would you like to hear more personal stories? Share your thoughts below.
- Have you traveled abroad before? Which was your favorite country to visit? I would love to add a few more spots to my bucket list