On 7/6/2017, my boyfriend of nearly 7 years became my fiance. He proposed in an unexpected way at the SeaTac airport. I had just finished spending 5 days in New Orleans for my cousin Natalie's wedding. In New Orleans, I ate beignets, went on a ghost tour, went to the Audobon aquarium, walked a lot, and lived on french toast. I had quality time with my favorite aunts, chatting, and trying not to die of heat stroke. My aunt Laurene and I went shopping, where I purchased this adorable black and lace dress, and this cute blue boho-shic top (that will be important later), and overall I had a great time with my family.
I had booked my airline tickets months in advance. When I was booking my ticket home I failed to realize that the time was in New Orleans time so it said I would land in Seattle at 8 pm and then I would fly to Portland on a commuter flight at 10. What it really said was I would land in Seattle at 8 pm New Orleans time which is actually almost 11 pm, and my commuter flight was at 10 am the following morning. That's right, 2 hours from home, 11 hour layover... Does that math sound right to you? Right...
So while I was mentally preparing myself to spend the night in Seattle airport or find a path without a vehicle home I was talking to Jeremiah. He then said, "what if I drive up to the airport and just bring you home?". It seemed like a decent idea to me so of course I said yes to it.
Thursday comes. We are texting back and forth as we have for the previous few days but he isn't responding in the normal timely fashion I'm used to. We are rarely apart from one another, so when we are, texting is our way of being together. I wait for his replies but nothing comes. This makes me a bit nervous. I text him when I am seated on the plane that I will see him in Seattle. 20 minutes pass and the pilot asks us to turn our devices onto airplane mode yet he has not responded. This is abnormal. I don't have a choice though, I put it on airplane mode and hope when I land in Seattle he is there.
I get off the plane at 11 pm in Seattle because we were a tad delayed, and I see him no where! So I call, "Hey... are you here?". He of course is, and tells me he just can't figure out the darn airport! Neither of us have been there so we are both on the phone searching for landmarks to find each other. I tell him where I am standing and he says "Okay, hang on, I'll come to you." I'm watching, looking around, and I look down the escalator I am standing next to and I see him in is red Columbia Sportswear fleece. "HEY!" I say, "I SEE YOU!" he glances up, and we finally connect. YAY!
So then he reaches me, I give him a big hug, with my monster of a backpack still on, and we just have a mini-session of rejoicing that we found one another in the confusing airport. Then the topic turns to preparing to drive home for 2 hours. "I need to use a restroom" he says. To which I totally find acceptable because he has just been driving for 2 hours and I suggest maybe we can find some coffee because it is a long drive home. We find a restroom, he goes in, and while I am standing there, I look down to see that my hands are blue? What the heck?
Remember that cute boho-shic top? Yeah, I hadn't washed it but I didn't think that the dye would bleed. It did, it was, and I was turning into a smurf. DANG IT. Here I thought I was looking cute... I was half right, I was a cute but I was a smurf. So, I contemplate if I have enough time to use the restroom to wash my hands. He has already been in there for a minute or two and he will probably be out any minute, and I didn't tell him I was using the restroom. However, I am only washing my hands and where else would I go? He will figure it out, I tell myself, and head to wash the blue off my hands.
As I walk out of the restroom, refreshed, and non-smurf, I see him talking to a TSA agent. I start to approach him because I figure that he's probably asking about coffee or how to get to parking. He glances at me. Then the lady looks at me confused. I figure "Oh, she probably thinks I'm also going to bug her." I go to motion that I'm with him and then they have a weird exchange of glances and he says "Here."
What's this? He is handing her a phone... a phone with a black and silver case? That's odd... it looks like his phone. Why is he handing her his phone? No that doesn't make sense. She stares at me wide eyed. I look at her confused while he steps off to the right out of my line of sight. It is as if the world then slows down for a moment.
I turn my head. It feels as if it takes 20 seconds to turn to look the direction my body is already facing.
I make eye contact with him.
What is he doing?
Why is he down on one knee?
What is even happening!?
My brain is screaming at me while I just stare for a moment.
"Will you marry me?"
I glance at the black box in his hand. I look at his eyes. I look at the box. My hand shoots to my chest. I can't breathe. I look at his mouth. His beautiful smile.
"REALLY?" is what comes from my mouth in a high pitched but quite cry.
The nervous tension behind his smile fades into a natural smile I have loved for years.
"REALLY?" I can feel the tears welling in my eyes. The cry this time even more softened but still squeaky.
"Really." He says.
"Oh my gosh. Yes. Of course. Yes." I start shaking like a leaf and crying. He stands, brings me into his arms for a strong embrace, holds me by my shoulders as he looks at my face, then hugs me again. We step back. I am full of nervous giggles now. It only now occurs to me as he takes the ring from the box and starts to place it on my hand that the TSA agent has been there the whole time freaking out too. "Oh my gosh you guys! Oh my gosh! This is so beautiful! This should be on video!"
I finally catch my breath. I am nervously shaking. I can't stop staring at the ring. We are both all smiles. The TSA agent wishes us well and goes about her business. We start our journey home where he tells me all the details on how he came to his decision and got a ring which is why he hadn't been responding as usual earlier in the day. He was buying the ring. He had to do it while I was away, because as stated before, we are always together. This trip provided him the opportunity he was looking for.
So there you have it. Proposed to in an airport. In front of an airport bathroom and trash cans. The only witness a TSA agent that we will likely never see again. No other witnesses to the event around. A complete surprise to me, and I wouldn't change a thing. It is so perfectly us. So true to the nature of our entire relationship.
He wanted to surprise me.
He did.
He wanted to make it intimate and with few witnesses so that I wouldn't get embarrassed by the attention.
Mission accomplished.
He kept true to who we are as a couple and I love every bit of it.
I'm so excited to marry this man. He gets me. He has understood me from the day we met nearly 10 years ago as co-workers and then friends. There is no one I prefer to spend more time with, share my deepest thoughts with, or experience life with than Jeremiah. I know our wedding will be beautiful but our marriage and continued life together will be glorious.
