How We Met
I can’t tell you the first time I met Andy. We grew up on the same street, only a few houses down from each other. I am so grateful that I grew up on a street where kids actually played outside! Andy came to my birthday parties, holiday parties, and street beach trips! However, It was not until we were a little older than we realized we were more than friends. Andy started to pursue me Summer of 2005. I was really young (14) and not really ready for a boyfriend. The next Summer, our mutual friend on the street bet Andy a $1 that he wouldn’t be dating me at the end of the Summer. There were many love notes, mix tapes, late-night texting that lead to Andy asking me to be his girlfriend on August 14, 2006.
He also gave me my first kiss there, on the golf course at the end of our street. I was 15 and he was 16. It is really amazing how long we have been together. I feel like we have been so many different people through the years but we still love one-another. College was challenging and we were long distance for 6 years. After college, we got our first apartment in Cambridge,MA and added a new little furry member to the family (Dexter the cat). The past four years we have resided in Newton, MA with another furry addition ( Fig Newton-cat). I could not imagine my life without Andy in it. He is truly my other half and I am so grateful that my first kiss will also be my last.
I am holding the cat. Andy is in the back with white shirt between girl in black vest and boy in red.
How They Asked
Clearly, this was a long time coming. I knew that it would happen within the year but I was surprised the day he proposed. It was my 27th birthday, which was a Wednesday. I took the day off from work and planned a spa day for myself. I went to Barrys Bootcamp in the morning and took a shower and threw on some comfy clothes. My work colleague texted me that she wanted to take me for a coffee and to wear something cute. I did not think anything of it because she is very generous and would take me somewhere nice. She picked me up and we headed towards Brookline, MA. She pulled into the Larz Anderson park which is an old Estate and beautiful gardens. She said they did tea there. I still had no idea.
She pulled up outside a pergola and we got out. I walked up the entrance and saw 12 stakes in the ground with an envelope attached to each one( for each year we have been together). At the end was a table with two chairs. Our favorite song started playing “Always Forever”- cover by Betty Who. At that moment, I knew. Andy was not in sight yet. I started with the first envelope, labeled “2006”. Each letter had photos from that year, a message about something that happened that year and a Scrabble piece. Once I was at letter “2017”, Andy came out and sat at the table. In front of us was a Scrabble board. I had to use my tiles to spell out “Always and Forever”. He then used his to spell out “Will you Marry Me”. He then took me around the table and got down on one knee and proposed! My friend was still there and taking pictures the whole time. It was such a perfect day and an amazing start to 27!
