Q. Did he surprise me?

A. Yes! In two ways...

#1 

Don planned a gorgeous night out in Atlanta. (Any busy parent knows this can be a rare occurrence.) Our night started off by checking in to a beautiful, unique boutique hotel. Then we had cocktails at a historic bar followed by dinner in a fabulous Italian restaurant. Finally, all decked out, we headed off to see Phantom of the Opera. I was CERTAIN this was it. This was the night...but Don had another plan. And I just had to be patient. (I'm not always good at being patient.)

#2

The following weekend he suggested we grab some margaritas and catch a movie. It all sounds fun but not our "norm"...but neither is Phantom of the Opera. Don parked as far from the restaurant as possible, just as it started to drizzle. He took my hand and asked me to walk with him. While I was a bit set on a strawberry margarita, I was curious about where we would walk.

We arrived at Bubbles & Brushes. It was 7 pm and they were closing. However, the associate was very happy to accommodate us, so Don suggested we paint something. Now, what you need to know is they specialize in canvas painting which is one of my favorite hobbies. Sadly, its been years since I've painted anything. Needless to say, I was thrilled to get my hands on a paint brush and make a masterpiece.

Don was a bit hesitant, positioning himself opposite me. I was curious about his progress. The associate handed him a paint marker, suggesting it would help with some of the finer details of his painting. I was in my zone, painting a flower vase and outlining the colorful peonies...

...then he asked me to look at his painting. 

How could he be done? Why was he ASKING to show me? What was going on? 

He flipped his painting around and dropped to one knee...in that moment I saw the words "Will you marry me" scribed next to two love birds. 

It was so perfectly thoughtful, kind and romantic. We will always have our paintings to remind us of that evening. I didn't complete mine that evening as I was wisked off to celebrate with a few close friends (not to mention shaking with excitement). And that put the most perfect little bow on the whole evening. 

By the way....I said YES!!!