My Love, My Heart - part 2

I know, two pretty long posts for one day. But as stated in the post below, two years ago today I was proposed to by the most amazing and sexiest man in the world. Here's that story.

I was living in Chicago at the time and he was living in Pennsylvania. We met at Penn State and started dating our senior year. I knew he was a keeper by how supportive he was of my move to Chicago. I graduated a semester before him, and Chicago presented an amazing opportunity that we both knew I had to take. It was so hard moving away from him, but I knew that in the grand scheme of things it was just temporary. I knew he would either get a job in Chicago or eventually I would move back. It was important to me to take the opportunity and seize it, regardless of how hard we knew it would be to be apart. I knew it might be the last time in my life that I would be able to explore a new city, entirely on my own. I moved in August. Gosh it was hard. And yet some of the best times of my life were spent in Chicago. We visited each other at least once a month and were constantly on the phone together. When I wasn't on the phone with him I was out exploring my new city and developing incredible friendships that I still share today. I loved my job. I loved the city. I was having a blast, and of course I was antsy for the day that he would propose, but I "knew" it wouldn't happen for at least another year.

On February 15th, 2007 my boss called me into his office for a meeting. It went like this...

"Anna, we know you are in a serious relationship. Do you think you'll get engaged soon? We are concerned you will, and that you will 'up and leave' us. If you think there is a chance you will be getting married soon and will want to move back to Pennsylvania, we want to address it now. There is a position that opened up at the New Jersey office. Close to home. Talk it over with your boyfriend and think about it. You have a week." !!!!!!????!!!!!! I left his office and walked straight out to my car and started crying. What was he expecting? "Hi Robbie, could you please tell me if you're planning on asking me to marry you soon, because my boss really wants to know." I felt I was being put in an extremely awkward and unfair situation. I was all set to 'up and leave' if and when he did propose! But how BACKWARDS was it to take a job simply because I MAY or MAY NOT be getting married soon. I called my mom hysterical. I definitely wasn't going to talk this over with Robbie. I didn't want him to feel pushed into proposing. I was actually flying home the next day to visit him and my family. My mom listened to my hysterical crying over the phone after the meeting and did everything in her power to comfort me. At one point she said, "Anna, please trust me. It's going to be okay. Please, just trust me. God is in control." She knew what was happening the next day...

I flew home on Friday, February 16th. I was SO excited to see Robbie. I told myself I wouldn't even worry about the meeting and was just going to ENJOY my time with Robbie and my family. Valentine's Day was two days earlier and he had sent me beautiful flowers and the sweetest card. He also told me on the phone that he wanted to make me a special dinner over the weekend. He's a romantic guy and loves to cook! I was so excited for our weekend. After picking me up from the airport late at night (my flight was SO delayed due to snowstorms!) we drove straight to his house. We walked into the back door and immediately I stopped in my tracks. Inside the house were a milliion candles all aglow and a fire in the fireplace. My first thought was, this is so dangerous! All of these candles and no one has been home! But before I could think anything further I noticed that the romantic scene continued throughout the house. I walked over to pictures he had placed of us everywhere in the kitchen and all of the sudden our song started to play - seriously, like out of the sky. I turned and looked at him and thought to myself, "WOW...this is as good as a proposal". But he looked at me and said "I just want our dinner to be special". He really is SO romantic and creative, so I didn't think anything else of it. He led me into the dining room where the table was set with fine china, a platter of sushi, more candles, pictures, gorgeous flowers and a bottle of wine and champagne chilling. On my plate was a card. He said before we ate he wanted me to open my card.

I opened the envelope and read the front of the card: "Cupid is my homeboy."

I was thinking, "but you already got me a Valentine's Day card!". Then I opened the card and noticed right away that the card wasn't even signed. Apparently he wanted my full attention on what the type said inside. It read...

"After all, he hooked me up with you - the best wife ever."

As soon as I read the word WIFE, I swung around and saw him down on his knee!

It turned out to be one surprise after another. My sister was flown in and my whole family showed up at our engagement party he had planned - HUGE surprise. The whole weekend was surreal and beyond amazing. My mom told me she has never wanted to scream so loud in her life when she heard me tormenting myself after that meeting with my boss, all the while knowing Robbie was going to propose the NEXT DAY.

I took the job. :o) (and then found a new job a month later with a really nice boss)

First steps as his wife!