After Mark's strange phone call, we kept driving towards McKinney and eventually ended up in a newly constructed neighborhood called Adriatica. We'd driven past this spot several times before and often admired the amazing homes along the water and imagined living in one someday. We'd watched as a bell tower was built along the lake's shore and tried to guess what on earth it was used for.
Mark turned the car onto the road that led directly into the development, right up alongside the bell tower. He told me he had arranged for us to take a tour, and my first thought was that we were going to tour one of the huge houses we had always admired. I said something along the lines of "Take a tour? Are the owners at home?!" It wasn't until he had parked and gotten out that I realized he meant take a tour of the bell tower. We got out of the car and met a lady and her young daughter, who took us into the tower and started leading us up the stairs to the very top. Her little daughter tagged along with us, and we all made small talk on the way up.
We had to climb some pretty steep steps and ended up at the very top of the tower by the bell, where you could see great views of the surrounding areas. We had barely gotten up off the ladder that led us up before our tour guide said something about "some work she had to take care of" downstairs, but we could take our time up here enjoying the view, and then she and her daughter quickly left back down the stairs. She was not smooth at all. Her excuse to leave so quickly seemed a little to rehearsed. At this point... I knew. Something was definitely up!
We spent a few minutes looking around at the neighborhood below and taking some pictures before Mark took me aside. He had brought up his camera case (which I did notice was a little larger than usual.. but I figured he had brought binoculars?) and took out a small black box. He got down on his knee, said some really amazing things that I knew were amazing, but seemed to be going in one ear and out the other, and then opened the box and said, "Amanda, will you marry me?"
I had a somewhat out of body experience when he was down on his knee. It was like I was watching the scene from above, seeing me there is this momentous occasion in my life. I kept thinking "OMG this is really happening! Pay attention to what he's saying! OMG OMG." And then in an instant he was done talking and opening the box and I saw the ring and again thought "OMG" and I think I even reached for it to put on, instead of letting him take it out and put on for me. We spent a few more minutes up at the top of the tower together, taking some pictures and (mostly me) exclaiming "we're engaged!"
After awhile we walked back down the stairs and met the nice lady and her daughter who had helped conspire with Mark for this whole plan. She wanted to see my ring and actually got goosebumps on her arm when I showed it to her. Turns out her entire family is in the jewelry business and she knew all kinds of weird diamonds code words that she was asking Mark about and she concluded that it was the perfect ring. Which I already knew! We said our goodbyes and thank you's, and then Mark and I hung around and walked around the lake before calling our parents to spread the news. We finished the evening with dinner at Samson's, a new restaurant right across the water from the bell tower.
It was the most perfect day :)
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