je suis fiancée!

Zachary asked me to marry him! WORDLESS SQUEALS OF JOY!

Let me tell you about it! Aieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

I met Zackie at the train station and it was perfectly incredible to see him again. I thought I knew how much I missed him, but it didn't hit home until he wrapped me up in a big hug, and I thought I was going to bawl right there by the escalator. Luckily for us both, he wasn't tired or jet-lagged, and asked that we walk home instead of hire a taxi, and if we could stop in a pretty park along the way so he could 'give me a special letter."

Usually, I am on HIGH-ENGAGEMENT ALERT, and because of my Dad's antics throughout my childhood, I'm generally suspicious, but Zack had convinced me weeks and weeks ago that he just wouldn't be able to ask me to marry him in France because the trip + the ring would be too expensive.  I had resigned myself to the fact that I was going to be asked in America, a much less romantic venue.

We stopped in the Jardin des Plantes, my favorite garden in Angers, where there's a pond with swans, ducks, waterfall, etc.; marble and bronze sculptures, lots of benches, flowers, and lots of shade. Zachary asked that we find a private bench, and so we did, in a shady corner of the park. He hands me his letter, and it's very sweet about how much he's missed me, and then I realized that he was standing up. I mentioned that it might be nice for him to sit beside me while I read his letter, and he responded that he had sat down too much already. My H-E-A sirens started to beep faintly. Something was up.

The P.S. said "Turn the card over my love!" and so I did. "For the rest of the card, I need some interactive help. I need you to stop reading and look at me! I love you, Leah! Forever." And I look up, and there is my favorite man in the whole world, handsome and witty and smart-as-a-whip and caring and perfect, with a polished wooden box in his palm.

He got down on his knee, and he asked me. I'm not sure that I was coherent for a minute, I just kept saying "OHHHH! Baaaaaaaaby! Awww!" until he checked "So that's a yes?" To which I replied

"Yes!"



The end. :3

Actually, not the end, because after he got situated chez Bouhet (Mme was super impressed with my ring), we went back to the park to take a few photos, made the engagement "facebook-official," I stared at my massive diamond non-stop, we went out for dinner at a delicious Italian place (which will be another story in itself), and came back to discover that all of our friends and family were showering us with love, well-wishes, and cheers.

I am so happy, and Zack is so happy, and I am so happy to see so many people supporting Zack and me. We mean the world to each other, and our loved ones mean the world to us, too. So thank you everybody, and wish us luck!