Roberto and I have been dating since October 10, 2006. We are both full time college students and work full time. We have a lot on our plates, but both have always tried to fit in weekend trips away together as special celebrations.
As year two-year anniversary approached, my fiancé told me he would like to plan it. I was somewhat relieved, seeing that our anniversary fell on the Friday of midterm week, and I was super busy and super stressed.
On Tuesday of the week leading up to our anniversary, Roberto told me that a friend of his needed a ride from the airport in Nashville. I know that he is always helping his friends out and didn’t think twice about him making the two hour drive. On Wednesday or Thursday evening, while we were getting ready for bed, he reveals to me a little bit about our plans for that weekend. Since he had to work early Saturday morning, we would leave that afternoon and head to Louisville (about two hours away). We would be spending the weekend up there. He told me he had made hotel reservations and gotten us tickets to the Derby Dinner Playhouse. Roberto knew that in high school, I was very involved with theatre. I still love plays, musicals, art galleries, etc. However, being a busy, relatively broke college student, I had not had much chance to really enjoy this part of my life. The Derby Dinner Playhouse is a very well known playhouse in KY which serves you a wonderful meal and then presents a play. I was so excited I could hardly wait. I thought that this was the best surprise he could have given me! Little did I know what else he was up to.
Saturday finally came and off we went. We arrived in Louisville and settled into our hotel room. Our hotel was next door to the playhouse. We enjoyed walking around the beautiful hotel and resting in our room. While I was in the shower, Roberto said he was going next door to finish paying for our tickets. Little did I know, he was making sure all of the preparations were ready. When the time came, we left for the playhouse. When the doors opened, a hostess walked us to a little table for two with a great view and balloons tied onto one of the chairs. I thought the balloons were a sweet touch for our anniversary celebration. We ate dinner and chatted, giggled. I was so impressed with the food, atmosphere, and romance of the whole thing. It was wonderful! A little before the show started, Roberto insisted that I should use the restroom before the show started. I wouldn’t want to have to get up in the middle. Finally, the lights dimmed and the actors and actresses came out for a song. They sang a very beautiful song about love and romance. Then, the announcer came on the stage. He started off with the basics of how the rest of the night would work. Then, all of the waiters and waitresses (also the actors and actresses of the play and the singers) came out with lots of little cakes with sprinklers on top. They were so beautiful! They lit up the whole room. I smiled when they set one down on our table. What a sweet way to celebrate our anniversary. Roberto is so thoughtful! The announcer stated that it was obvious that lots of people were already celebrating many special occasions such as birthdays and anniversaries. However, there just may be another special occasion in the making tonight. He announced that Roberto had something he would like to say. While I was listening to the announcer, the waitress had handed Roberto a microphone. Then, a spotlight came on over our table. Roberto sat across the table from me and told me how much he loved me and how wonderful our two years together had been. He then said that he had something he wanted to know. He stood up, walked around the table, and knelt on one knee in front of me and asked me to marry him. I cried! I was so surprised. I didn’t figure out what was really going on until I noticed him trying to pull something out of his pocket. I gave him a huge kiss, but forgot to say “yes”!! He forgot to actually put the ring on my finger. As Roberto sat back down, the announcer asked if that was a yes! Of course it was. I couldn’t stop crying. Once things settled down, the lady sitting across the aisle from us handed Roberto our camera. While I was in the restroom, he had asked her to video it. A little bit later, our waitress brought two glasses of champagne to help us celebrate. During intermission, we began calling everyone we knew. When I spoke to my big sister, she told me that the day Roberto was supposed to pick a friend up in Nashville, he actually drove to Lexington to buy the ring and ask their permission to marry me. He had even called my best friend and told her his plan.
As if the whole night had not been magical enough, the photographer later brought us two perfect pictures of “the kiss.” He had planned almost every moment! He had specifically asked if they could get a picture of it. We both floated through the rest of the evening.
The next day, Roberto said he wanted to take me out to lunch at a little downtown restaurant before we left. I was more than eager. However, I was kind of sad because we were in Louisville, where my uncle who raised me lives, and I hadn’t seen him in almost two years. Roberto said he was tired though and didn’t really feel like a visit. I didn’t complain, I just thought I should make another trip up here soon. While we were at the restaurant waiting to order, I look up toward the door. In walks my uncle!! I was so excited. Roberto had been texting him all week and making plans to have lunch at this very restaurant, just down the street from his house. Spending the afternoon with my uncle (who I call Daddy Travis) and cousins and family was the perfect way to end the weekend.
Afterwards, I found out how much planning Roberto had gone through to make that weekend so special. I have access to all of his school records, bank accounts, etc. However, he found a way to apply for the loan and have catch it in the mail before me. He took the 2 hour trip to Lexington to get the ring and asked the most important people in my family for permission. He had been talking on the phone with the people from the playhouse for over a month. Our waitress said that when they all saw us seated at our table, they were so excited for us. They were all so nice, probably because they knew what was going to happen. He hid the ring in his friend’s office at work. He planned the lunch with my Daddy Travis. He did so much for our engagement, that he forgot our actual anniversary was on Friday. To keep me from suspecting something was up, he had last minute roses sent to my work on Friday. Of course, I didn’t know they were last minute until later. Because he used our anniversary weekend, I had no clue what was going down. It was, hands down, the most romantic and special weekend of my life. It will only be topped by the weekend we actually get married. :-D
