My fiance was saying last night....

Yep.
He asked.
I said YES!!
A thousand times YES!!!!

It was a PERFECT Dana Day yesterday!!!

We spent the day working for our friend Brad, putting 100's of flyers on door handles in neighborhoods. We were so tired and so hot, but it was in the sun, excercise, work, and being together! I sent out some more resumes and emails, then we went to the beach in the late afternoon to just relax for an hour or two.

We had SO much fun, laughing about our life, being excited about our future, wondering what the next few months will hold...we just love the beach and love being their together. We talked in the sun, played a bit in the water and just were together as we walk through this crazy adventure.

We headed over to our friends Kimi and Brad's for dinner, but I started crying about something...as you do when you are SO overly tired and emotionally drained. Sam ended up taking me to a different beach that he wanted to show me, so I could calm down a bit and feel a little more composed. We got to this beach and then we listened to a song by Dave Dobbyn, a NZ icon. The song is called Hopetoun Bridge. It is the song he used to listen to every night he would leave Ali and Uncle Neville's house in NZ where I was staying. It says, "Go get that girl and never let her go." Dave was his coach over and over while I freaked out too scared to hope that Sam was for real. He was. He is. He got me. And...He is never letting go.

After listening and looking Sam in the eye, silently assuring him that he got me and I now trust that he is never letting go.....we walked to the beach. Wheat Thins and Diet Coke in hand, because we never ate dinner, but had those in the car. Along with our Fiji towel...we were ready for a sweet night on the beach. It was a beautiful night! We still had our togs on (or in america, swimsuits :) and just needed a hoodie...it was just so great out. We walked for awhile just talking and enjoying the beach at night and each other. We found a spot and watched the waves and stars. He looked at me and said...."I have something in my pocket I want to show you."

And I did what any girl that loves her man so much would do...I burst into tears.

He got down on his knee and had me look him in the eye and said, "Will you marry me? I choose you."

I said, "A thousands times YES!"

He placed this GORGEOUS HUGE ring on my finger (he did have to ask which finger it went on :) It fit PERFECT. Which made the night even more special and perfect than it already was. See, it was his Nana's ring. (His dad's mum) His mom told me that Sam was super special to her and Sam can vividly remember her and feels so connected to her. The ring actually feels like it was made for my finger. We just looked at each other in disbelief. I asked him, "Do you think the night your Nana had her special moment that she ever in her wildest dreams thought we would be having our moment with her ring?" It is the coolest feeling to have a ring that has shared love and one that has so much history, yet is the start of a new future.

I LOVE being in my swimsuit, and LOVE the night after a long day in the sun. It is quite possibly my favorite feeling ever. To get proposed to still in my swimsuit, with a sun dress on, Sam's hoodie (that I used to always wear in NZ...purposely not taking a hoodie so I would have to wear his each night....) and sitting on our towel from Fiji...was the PERFECT DANA way to get engaged.

We are creating our future and writing our story...we couldn't have planned a better one....


(Talking to my mom!)