Leave of Absence

Talk about a whirlwind.  In the last nine months, I got engaged, married and moved!

Here is our engagement story:
Every other month, my then boyfriend and I would switch off visiting the other on Wednesday which we termed "Date Night."  During the 2+ years we dated, we lived in two different states so I always looked forward to Wednesday nights.  The weekend before we got engaged, he told me to dress up b/c we were going out in Philly for date night.  This was my little hint that something was up.  Needless to say, I became so ill that week but unless I was confined to bed, I was determined to suck it up and make sure the night went as planned.  September 18th was absolutely memorable!  He whisked me away to  the Fountain Restaurant at The Four Seasons for dinner where I guessed he would propose.  So I was quite shocked when we made it to the dessert round and he declined his favorite course b/c he was apparently too full.  Little did I know he was really too nervous reciting in his head what he wanted to say.   As we walked outside to fetch the car, he asked if I wanted to go for a little walk to let our food digest.  We strolled across the street to the Logan Square Fountain and I was tipped off again as we passed multiple benches perfectly fit for sitting.  I later found out he was searching out the perfect spot to drop on one knee and the bums were not part of his plan.  Once on the opposite side of the fountain, he got down on one knee BUT was silent for what felt like an hour.  Apparently, those perfectly recited words escaped him once the time came.  Not even the sticky note of words in his pocket could help him at this point.  Being aware of the gesture, I reached down to hug him and say I love you which only distracted him further.  He finally told me he wanted to spend the rest of his life with me and held out the most beautiful round cut yellow gold ring.  How could a girl say no?  I am not even sure if the word YES came out of my mouth when he asked if I would marry him but my body language certainly did.  I couldn't stop smiling and kissing him.  After calling our families to share the exciting news, we drove back to my apartment but not without a quick stop to pick up some NyQuil so I could sleep.  The fact that I was so sick I could barely breath only made the day that much more memorable.