I’ve been planning an engagement proposal for a while. I didn’t have details in mind – I hadn’t carefully choreographed a musical number, or scheduled her name on a jumbotron – but I’d been working on making a ring (see my other blog when I get back for details on making jewelry!!) and I had two plans. I’d either finish it and take her up to Grouse, where we had our third date and propose. Or I’d do it sometime in Costa Rica. The latter plan started to feel better when I finished the ring, so I thought I’d propose on Miranda’s birthday on the sunset cruise we had planned. Plans a good ‘un.

Except that once we got to Costa Rica, I got nervous. Not like “holy hell, do I really want to do this” nervous, but more like “fuck, why can’t I do this right now”. So I started looking for places that might work.

I forgot the ring at home one night that looked good, and it turned out fantastic because that night I got food poisoning. “Will you marry me? *urup*” Not romantic.

The next day we had planned to go to Monteverde, but timing caused it to not work out so we made other plans. Arenal Hanging Bridges sounded great, and off we go! I brought the ring, hoping that at some point there would a sweet looking bridge with another tourist on it whom I could ask to take photos.

We crossed a bridge, and passed some people, but not at the same time. On the second bridge there were people on it when we got to it. Miranda said we should wait. I said we should go ask them to take our picture. She said she didn’t want to. I said I wanted to, and I just started walking to make it happen.

Miranda has often said that she wished I would take charge more often, so perhaps she was taken aback by my insistence, or maybe she just figured it wasn’t worth her own insistence, but thankfully (mercifully!) she followed behind me.

I went up to the lady and held out my camera and asked if she would take a picture of us. I asked if she would take a couple. I had planned to show her the ring box so she’d know, but I got caught up and didn’t. I walked back to Miranda and had planned to take a knee at that moment, but for some reason did this instead.

That’s a photo of me wondering why on earth I’m standing next to Miranda, instead of in front of her with a ring presented.

I turned towards her, with the ring box held in my hand in front of me. I think she saw it as I went down, but she was good enough to maintain this incredibly photogenic face long enough for the amazing lady we’d asked to get this photo, a photo worthy of the proposal I had prayed I could make happen.

On a suspension bridge, in the middle of Central America, doing something we love – exploring the natural world – I went down on one knee and asked Miranda “will you marry me?” She said “yes, yes, a million times yes”, a phrase which I hope to keep with me forever.

The lady was overwhelmed, which is fair since I’m not certain she had all the English needed to have any sort of conversation, and she’d just been unwittingly dragged into a life defining moment for a couple of strangers. I grabbed my camera, thanked her profusely and we stood on the bridge for a few more moments.

That’s the story. You can ask me about it when you see me, I won’t mind repeating it, but it won’t be as eloquent as here – I’m a much better writer than I am a speaker. 🙂