Sherpa's Wonderin's

And the winner for "Most Unique Engagement Story" goes to.....

We finally arrived in Midway, Utah, at The Inn on the Creek, a quaint bed and breakfast inn with a fabulous restaurant. After a delicious dinner, Henry waited for the dining room to clear out. Being Valentines Day, it seemed half the couples in that dining room were waiting for it to clear out as well, because we all sat there for a very long time. Wondering if he'd ever find a private place, Henry decided we'd have to at least move from where we were sitting. He'd been eyeing the other rooms in the restaurant where fewer people might be. The plan to keep Margaret wondering all dinner long had been very effective, but time was growing short. After dinner, Margaret needed to “powder her nose” which gave him enough time to find a quiet little romantic spot in another dining area that had cleared out – which came complete with a small fire in the fireplace. When Margaret returned he led her to see her how nice the room was and suggested they sit and briefly enjoy the fire.

He then pulled out a Valentine’s Day card for Margaret to read. Tears began to well up in her eyes when, as she finished, Henry said, “I have one more thing for you” and started to reach into his pocket. At that moment, Margaret knew exactly what was happening and immediately started to weep. Placing the little box with the ring in front of her, he opened it and said, “does this look familiar?” In tears, Margaret nodded and said, “I knew that was my ring” and cried on his shoulder. Henry then pulled away a few inches, took her hands in his and asked, “Margaret, will you marry me?" As she continued to cry, he then said, “Margaret Michelle Earl, will you be my wife for time and all eternity?” Margaret wept on his shoulder and finally gained the composure to speak. She'd been waiting for this moment her entire life and wasn’t about to blubber through it. Three days before, she had memorized a passage from Jane Eyre that related specifically to their relationship, just in case Henry decided to propose. She replied: "If ever I did a good deed in my life, if ever I thought a good thought, if ever I prayed a sincere and blameless prayer, if ever I dreamed a righteous dream, I am rewarded now. To be your wife, is for me, to be the happiest I could ever be . . ." Recognizing the passage and the special meaning it had for both of them, Henry began to cry as well and we embraced again.

He then pulled the ring out of the box to put on her finger. A few minutes of tears and kisses later, with beaming smiles we walked outside and sat on a bench just outside the door of the inn near a lantern. Margaret had made a little Valentine’s Day gift for Henry that added a perfect cap to the evening. She'd found passages in both Jane Eyre and Pride and Prejudice that she felt really epitomized their relationship and how it had progressed over the years. When Henry opened the gift, Margaret got the reaction she'd wanted. The passages he knew well. His heart full and his wounds healed, he choked up and the tears flowed.