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It was my last day of being a teenager.
I sat in the second row of Physics II and waited until class was over to approach the professor. College was extremely important to me. I never skipped classes, so what I had to say bunched my stomach in knots.
“Professor?”
“Hm?”
“I won’t be in class tomorrow night.”
He gave me a skeptical stare, one that made me squirm.
“It’s my birthday, and my boyfriend has something special planned. I’ll get the notes from a classmate and make up the assignment.”
After what felt like three full minutes (but was actually about three seconds!), he nodded and told me to have a good time.
When I got home from work the next day, I put on my favorite skirt with a pretty sweater. I fluffed my hair and cemented it with hairspray (yes, this was wa-a-y back in the early nineties), and waited for whatever my boyfriend had planned.
A limo pulled into my parent’s driveway. A limo! And Scott, who I’d been dating for almost three years, knocked on my door. He looked so handsome. I still couldn’t believe this incredible guy loved me.
We drove to a wonderful restaurant on the river. I don’t remember what I ate, but I know I enjoyed it. Back in the limo, Scott pulled out a cupcake, popped a candle in it, and he and the limo driver serenaded me with “Happy Birthday.” Dusk was starting to fall, so we drove to Frankenmuth, a little German town in Michigan, about fifteen minutes away. Scott asked the driver to drop us off near the covered wooden bridge.
Hand-in-hand, we strolled along the sidewalk. We veered to the right, stopping in the center of the bridge’s walkway to admire the sunset. I can still see the sky—vibrant orange, swirls of magenta and deep purple. The river below gurgled.
Scott dropped to one knee. I gasped.
Was he…proposing?
He took my hand in his, said some really sweet things that for the life of me I can’t remember, and asked me to marry him. I yelled, “Yes!” and he slid a beautiful diamond ring on my finger.
We’ve been married twenty years now. In November, I lost the diamond on my ring. I searched the house for it, but it didn’t show up. The more I looked, the more upset I got. Now, mind you, my ring was not the mammoth diamond engagement set you see nowadays. But my husband delivered a ton of pizzas to buy me that ring, and it means the world to me.
Before indulging in a crying marathon, I decided to check my closet floor for the diamond. Can you believe it? The diamond was there! Just sitting on the carpet.
A few weeks ago I had the diamond reset, and it’s back on my finger. I love that ring. I love my memories of getting engaged. We were young, without much money…and happy.
From time to time, we go back to Frankenmuth, and whenever we walk along the bridge, I stop a moment in the exact spot Scott proposed.
And I say a little prayer of thanks.
What was the most romantic moment in your life? Are you still waiting for it?
Have a wonderful day!!
Jill Kemerer writes Christian romance novels with love, humor and faith. Her debut novel, Small-Town Bachelor, will be available April 2015 from Harlequin Love Inspired. Jill loves coffee, M&Ms, fluffy animals, magazines and her hilarious family. Visit her website, www.jillkemerer.com, and connect with Jill on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest!
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Thoughts On Plot 
Now I know why I write suspense! I don’t have a BIG romantic memory. lol. Love this story of when your husband proposed. And so glad you found your diamond. That’s such a heartdropping moment when you look down and the stone is gone.
Heartdropping is the right word!! I went nuts! I couldn’t believe when I actually found it. Phew!!
I was newly dating an accomplished forest ranger and we were hiking a wooded hillside above beautiful Puget Sound, holding hands, when he swung to the other side of the tree ahead of us, hands still joined, which swung us around for our first kiss. Creative, fun, a surprise. I attended a Chris. wedding that reminded me of full commitment to Christ, more than the ranger had at that point, so the relationship ended, but it’s still a good memory.
Oooh! I love this!! What a great memory! And I’d love to visit Puget Sound! Thanks for sharing!
I absolutely love this dash of romance. I am sighing and remembering when my husband proposed. Like you, I don’t remember very many words that he said, but I remember him getting down on one knee, his shaky hands as he opened the box with my ring inside, the moonlight over the water, and my jubilation. Thanks for taking me down memory lane.
Yes, I have a big smile on my face right now, Michelle. I know what you mean–it’s easy to forget those big moments, but when I do, they warm my heart!
What a sweet story, Jill! My husband proposed on a footbridge near the Mississippi and every time we go there we always pause on the bridge and kiss. It keeps that beautiful, romantic evening alive.
Aww! I love that! It’s funny how places can bring back those warm, fuzzy memories!
Such a sweet story! My hubby proposed over dinner at our favorite Chinese restaurant. I had said, let’s order something different tonight. Unfortunately, “different” came with a food allergen (for hubby). So he proposed, I said yes, he started throwing up. Okay, not that fast, but it’s funnier that way 😀 We’re coming up on 30yrs of marriage & still in love, so I guess the throwing up wasn’t too serious. LOL
Haha!! Okay, that’s funny! “I said yes, he started throwing up.” Congratulations on 30 years! And thanks for making me laugh!
What a lovely story to share. At work, a gal bumped her hand against something and looked down to check her ring. Her diamond was gone. She knew it had popped out. She got a damp rag and wiped that entire floor on her hands and knees. She found her diamond!
Wow!! I’m so glad she found hers too! The jewelry store I had mine reset at told me that most diamonds fall out of their settings after 15 years. 😦
What a great story, Jill! How romantic! 🙂 I was sort of seeing a guy in college, and we were driving back from a Campus Crusade for Christ weekend retreat, just the two of us in his truck. Suddenly he turned on the sweetest love song–I couldn’t tell you what it is now–grabbed my hand, and kissed the back of it. Then he said, “I feel like this song about you.” We ended up parting ways, but it’s still a sweet memory for me. 🙂 Thanks for sharing your story!
Aww!! That is so sweet! Don’t you love moments like that? Mmm!
Oh…I LOVE THIS!! How sweet, Liz.
My most romantic memory: I used to be a flight attendant and my husband was deployed overseas. It was close to his midtour break and I was flying across the country just gushing to my co-workers about how excited I was he was going to be coming home in a week. I was working reserve, which meant I was at the mercy of wherever the airline needed me so my routes kept changing. I got off the plane in Chicago and was rerouted to Louisville, KY. I got on the plane and was ready to give the safety announcements when I saw the most handsome soldier sitting in the aisle seat, two rows back. I couldn’t believe it was my husband, right there in front of me-and a week early! My airline and my family scrambled to make my husband’s surprise perfect and it’s one of my favorite romantic memories.
Oh, that gave me goosebumps!! I don’t know how you managed to work the rest of the flight!
I love this. It really is a swoon-worthy moment and story! 🙂
Thanks, Jessica!!
A lovely story to share with us. Thank you. How amazing to find your diamond like that. Lucky you all the way around!
I know!! I couldn’t believe I actually found it! What a relief. 🙂
Proposing to my wife on the shores of the Sea of Galilee, her native city of Tiberias stretching over the foothills behind us; driving throughout the Judean countryside together, witnessing for the first time Biblical sites that I had studied in college; playing that old Amy Grant tape over and over again…
Wow!! Now that’s a story! I’m sure you’ll never forget that trip!
Now I’m only 19, nearly 20. When I was 16 I was most definitely in love with a close friend of mine (and it’s not a word I fling around lightly, I didn’t want to be in love and it took a lot for me to accept it at the time). She never felt the same way about me, which obviously sucks but is a part of life. It’s not something I think I dealt with well at the time, torturing myself like mad with hope that she’d feel what I felt at some point, that somehow something that to any outside observer was clearly never going to happen might do just that.
Anyway, once I finally and painfully got over her I closed myself off quite a lot (stereotypical, I know) and ended up having more than a few casual hook ups and not really looking for anything truly romantic. I had a girlfriend for a while, but I wasn’t serious about it; nowhere near as serious as she unfortunately was. That didn’t last for long. Before I came to university I saw myself spending my time here partying and not getting into anything serious, just generally being carefree. The partying has of course happened rather a lot, but in my first week there I met a girl (ironically whilst at one of said parties) and asked her out on a date whilst drunk. It’s something I can barely remember, but clearly I thought she was cool whilst I was wasted. She said yes, something she still has no idea why she did. The next day we went for a couple of drinks at a pub nearby, and ended up talking until late that night and then kissing each other for almost an hour.
Things progressed from there. I really wasn’t serious at first. I thought she was gorgeous, sweet, funny and all-round lovely, but I had serious doubts about the relationship progressing. But if I still had any trace of those doubts now, they disappeared the other day. I got back this afternoon from a 6-day trip to Rome with her. It’s her hometown, so I had a wonderful tour guide, and she showed me all around. I remember on the second day we were by a complex of beautiful ancient ruins close to the Colusseum and the Altare della Patria, and the sun was shining and there was a string quartet just stood further up the path playing Pachelbel’s Canon in D (it took me at least an hour of searching for “romantic Italian string music” and I’ve honestly never felt that way for someone in my life. Kissing her there in that incredibly beautiful place that meant so much to her made me realise just how happy she makes me, and I remember deciding that irregardless of what happens to us as a couple in the future, I’d like that song played at my wedding (if I have one), as it’ll remind me of the first time in my life when I saw how amazing reciprocated love can be.
6 months ago, if someone had told me I’d take the time to write up a story as saccharine sweet as this I’d have laughed in your face, but now I have no shame whatsoever. Go figure.
John, I’m so happy you met such a wonderful girl! Thank you for sharing your story with us!