The day I proposed to my wife was almost 5 years ago, but I remember it like it was yesterday.
My girlfriend, Jaime, and I had been dating for almost 6 years. For months I had been looking for the perfect moment to propose. Jaime and I were planning a summer trip and I eventually settled on the pacific coast of Costa Rica, Of course prior to leaving on our week long vacation, I made sure to have the painfully awkward, soon-to-be father-in-law/soon-to-be son-in-law dinner to ask for Jaime's father's blessing. With both sides of the family in on the plans and Jaime's father on board, the stage was set for a great trip.
Jaime and I landed in San Jose and spent the first several days traveling through the mountains and rain-forests of Costa Rica Mt Arenal and Monteverde. We had planned to end the trip along the coast, starting first in a small surf town called Jaco and then heading further south to Manuel Antonio. We spent almost our entire first day in Manuela Antonio on the beach at the State Park the weather was awesome and the beaches were quiet and exactly what we were hoping for. After a full day of sun, we went back to our hotel to freshen up and then planned to head back to the beach to watch the sun set.
Before I get into the actual proposal, it probably makes sense to give a little background on the set-up. The ring I was giving Jaime was my grandmother Ruth's wedding ring. My mother had offered it to me a few months earlier. Adding to the specialness of the ring, my mom also gave me hundreds of letters that my grandparents had exchanged soon after they met and leading up to their wedding. The letters were amazing, literally written about every 3 days for almost 2 years and provided complete context for my grandfathers courtship and eventual proposal.
Back to the story... With my grandmother's ring in tow, we headed to the beach. I had gone through the actual proposal - how I would ask,what I would say - at least 100 times. Luckily we were going to KY to visit with family shortly after we returned, so I had a great way to transition into a story about my grandparents. I started telling Jaime the story of how my grandparents met and how they eventually got engaged (I won't bore you with the details, but it's a great story of perseverance on my grandfather's part). I ended the story by explaining that my grandfather took a train from Chicago to New York City and eventually proposed to my grandmother on the stoop of a Brownstone. At that point, I opened my hand and said and he gave her this ring. I want you to have it and to be my wife. Jaime graciously accepted and we were married 6 months later....
