#BecomingMrsRich
So, in my last post, I mentioned I got engaged! It was such a surprising, wonderfully fantastic experience! When I woke up on November 5th, 2016, I never imagined that evening I would be engaged to the man of my dreams.
In the early morning, per our usual custom, my then boyfriend of just over two years and I attended church. We took the usual after-church pictures (see below 😆), and jumped into the car to head back to my house to prepare for a special picnic he had planned for us.
PAUSE: A few weeks prior, I had mentioned that I would like to do something new and different for one of our date nights. Dave took note and obliged me, even handing me an RSVP Save the Date card a week beforehand for a "mystery date!" I was pleasantly surprised but didn't think too much of it because he is generally very thoughtful. So off we went, in the car, towards the mountains with me guessing all the way where we were headed. Thirty minutes later, we arrived at this beautiful Apple-picking orchard, where he unpacked a fully prepared picnic with traditional red gingham cloth in hand purchased from JoAnn's. 
Unfortunately, unbeknownst to us, we arrived at the orchard at about 4 pm, and found out it closed at 4:30. With thirty minutes to eat, we promptly chose a spot and ate, with only a few minutes left to enjoy the scenery.
Taking it all in, I mentioned to Dave that this would be a great location to propose to someone (face palm), all the while not knowing he had intended to do that very thing! (I told ya'll to pray for me...lol). 
We packed up our belongings and headed down the hill, arriving back at my house where we changed for dinner. Again, I didn't know where we were going and was told to dress in something nice but not too fancy. 
We hopped into the car once more, with Dave appearing to drive me around in circles, and refusing my offers to help with the gps. By this time I was slightly concerned but not too worried. We finally parked, on what looked like a dark street, with no restaurant in sight. As he opened my car door, helped me out and walked me down the street, purposefully stopping under the street light, I asked him what was happening, confused. With one swift move, this man of mine whipped out the rose gold diamond ring of my Pinterest dreams and told me how he'd loved me since we met in 2014, and I was his best friend. Shocked, I heard nothing else except "Will you marry me?" 
After about four rounds of "are you serious??!?" I answered with a resounding "YES!" 😆😍😍😍😆
There was no one around at the time, so I was feeling slightly disappointed that it appeared no one was around to capture the moment. I asked to at least call my mom, to which Dave cooly replied, "after we eat."Contemplating tears, Dave took me into one of our favorite Thai restaurants, and up a flight of stairs to what seemed like an upstairs loft. At the top of the stairs, I was greeted with the "SURPRISE!!!" screams of approximately 40 people, at whom I in turn shrieked at when I recognized the faces of my brother, sister, and friends whom Dave had flown from across the country to be a part of the event. Although an emotional wreck, I thoroughly enjoyed every moment of it, especially after learning that two of my friends had been telling "tall tales" or "small untruths" as they would call them, since Dave began planning the proposal back in August. 
Overall, I was so happy! Through all of the struggles, good times and bad, I am SO thankful and SO blessed that God thought so highly of me as to bless me with such wonderful friends and family, and the God-fearing man of my dreams. 
And I have continued to enjoy it! From a ladies brunch, to showing my ring off at BET's "The Real," I am soaking up every moment.
Let the planning begin! Stay tuned for updates on my journey to #BecomingMrsRich!
Oh, and happy Thanksgiving! I hope yours is filled with joy and love. 😊😊
-AB