a year ago

A year and two days ago, Aaron asked me to marry him. I can't believe a whole year has already gone by. I feel like I just got up the nerve to call people and tell them my news (I remember practicing on Meghan first and it seeming so awkward to say the words: "We got engaged").
This whole being "engaged" thing is really weird, by the way. Your title changes to something really snooty sounding ("oh, yes, my fiance and I absolutely adore sailing") and at first, you're like "no way am I using that word," but then you find yourself using it because all of a sudden "boyfriend" just doesn't seem to cut it.
So we've been fiance-ing for a year. And we're about to have a wedding. Wow. This whole thing is just crazy.

But anyway, a year and two days ago, Aaron threw me in the car and drove to Vermont. We stayed in a barn, converted into a bed and breakfast, and there was snow on the ground. He took me for a walk in a field, brought hot apple cider, stood me in front of one of those stone walls that always makes me think of Robert Frost, got down on both knees and started babbling about our whole relationship, start to finish...or rather start to new start. And then he took out a little box and that's that. There was champagne when we got back to the room.
He took me there because Boston didn't have any snow and Michigan barely had snow over Christmas and I needed snow. And there it was. He's a man who makes things happen.
I'm not really one of those girls that's really into weddings and romantic movies and stuff, but it was a really special day. I know that everyone gets married and each person's wedding/marriage/relationship is special, but I feel like Aaron and I are extra-special. Like we're the thing that doesn't happen very often. We're a relationship to envy. I know that sounds stuck up, but it's true, I think. We're friends more than anything else, and that's really what makes it bearable to be with someone else all the time. I like being around him. We're a team. We go through everything in our lives as a team, and yet we're able to remain our own persons. I think that I've kind of stumbled onto the secret to a good relationship here. I've only known one other couple like this (hi, Dana and Neal) and they're doing our wedding ceremony for us, so I feel like that's something.
I don't want to make it seem like what Aaron and I have is always great, always puppies and rainbows and whatever -- relationships, good ones, are really hard work -- sometimes life is downright bleak. But because we're both willing to put in the effort, we get a lot out of our relationship. We're committed to making our relationship good, even when times are really hard. I think that's a good reason to get married to someone. And so, a year and two days after he asked me to marry him, I can say that I'm still up for it.