I don't mind doing things last-minute, so it was great when Ian called the week before his birthday this year and asked if I'd come visit for the occasion. He bought me a ticket (for his birthday present) and I showed up around midnight the next Thursday night.
Meanwhile, I'd realised that our whole plan for me moving to England wasn't going to work, for visa reasons. As I thought of having to spend another six months apart, I was more upset than I had been in a year...my fairy tale was practically falling apart! I coached myself not to hope for a proposal at such short notice and determined to just enjoy a few days with my "favourite" person in the world and not hope for more. I believed he wanted to wait until we'd lived in the same country for a few months before proposing.
The first evening I was there, Ian took me out to a gorgeous Cotswold hill (Cleeve Hill) and I was reminded of why I fell in love with England in the first place. That is, until a nearby sheep bleated loudly and made me jump! We stayed under his umbrella to protect ourselves from the English drizzle, and when we got to the top of the hill, he gave me the biggest shock ever.
He turned to me, took a deep breath, and quoted Proverbs 18:22 "He who finds a wife, finds a good thing and receives favour from the Lord." There's only ONE reason he'd be saying this to me now! I thought excitedly! I held the umbrella while he got down on one knee in the mud and asked me to do him "the honour" of becoming his wife.
Of course I said yes!
In a funny twist, he proposed again the next day after getting my parents' permission! And, of course, I said yes again!
