you could say i do at least

It’s been exactly one year since Husband to Be proposed in Maui. I still remember how cold it was on top of Haleakala, the amazing colors of the sunrise, and the sweet surprise of HtB on one knee as the blanket we had wrapped around us flapped madly in the breeze and he put his grandmother’s ring on my finger. We had talked about the future and always spoke in terms of “when we do this” and “when we have kids” but the actual M word had never once come up (by design on HtB’s part, because he wanted to surprise me) and I am eternally grateful to have had a romantic proposal with absolutely no nagging or cajoling on my part and minimal time spent wondering when/if he would propose. It unfolded as smoothly and naturally as every other stage of our courtship.

I remember sitting on a beach that afternoon, our last day there, watching kite surfers and not wanting to leave our little paradise and go back to the real world. And I remember staring at my ring late into the night on the plane and looking at the man sleeping next to me and being unable to stop smiling.

It’s been a tough year in many ways, after the glow of being engaged wore off and the stresses and heartaches of wedding planning have come barreling at us non-stop. But all the bumps in the road have only made us stronger and more secure as a unit and for that I am so grateful.

I was reading the wedding vow repository on Indie Bride the other night looking for ideas and got all teary-eyed thinking about the vows we'll exchange and it reminded me that the stresses of planning the wedding, the disappointment in people not coming, none of those things matter. I won't be thinking of any of those things when I'm walking down that aisle, walking towards the future and walking towards home.

Even more intensely than a year ago, I cannot wait to marry this man.

(Photo taken by our good friend and very talented photographer. He's not a big shot yet, but it's only a matter of time. )