We had talked about getting married for a while and we had planned to get engaged sometime in January. But January came and went as we waited for the ring to be made. Ben needed to drive about 1.5 hours away to pick it up (with my car) and so i knew he didn't have it yet. I had also suggested earlier that we get engaged on Valentine's day but at the time he thought it was cheesy so i wasn't really expecting it that night.
We babysat for Eric and Dawn to start off the night and once they were back from dinner we went out ourselves "chez Ben" for a (wonderful) home-cooked meal of Ben's secret potent recipe - chicken alfredo manicotti. ("works everytime" says Ben). He bought me flowers and some sparkling grape juice which we shared while we waited for the manicotti to cook. I gave him a Valentine's day present and he told me he had a secret one for me but i couldn't have it until later on that night. (hmm...)
Dinner was great but i kept wondering why he was acting so quiet and distracted. I finally asked him what he was thinking about and he said "nothing much" and i said "you seem sooo tense?!"
But we finished dinner and braved the cold for some skating in Victoria Park. I've been wanting to go skating with him for a while but he doesn't have skates but it was so cold that i suggested not going at all. But Ben insisted (oddly) that we just have to go...so that was fine with me and we went. For five minutes. The skates didn't fit so after a couple rounds of skating he asked if we could stop and go for a walk instead. THIS was the clincher! Ben doesn't usually suggest walks especially in the cold, i usually want to walk - he usually wants to drive! I accepted the suggestion though and off we went.
The conversation was getting more tense now and we just made some small talk until Ben suggested we stop at a certain place. He got out a poem he had written for me (non-rhyming) and began to read it. It's my new favorite poem - and i won't tell you what it says. ;)
At the end of it he told me that 27 years ago my dad gave my mom a ring and that he had a symbol for me of two lives and two families coming together. He got down on one knee and said "Jen Clarke, will you marry me?"
I said "YES!" right away - and after some hugging etc. he put the ring on my finger and we called my mom from the place she and my dad got engaged so long ago. :)
Ben is a wonderful and godly man - I thank God for putting him at UWO and in my life in His good timing. God is sooo good to me. I couldn't ask for a better boyfriend, fiance, or husband (as far as i know).
Jen Jolliffe...how does that sound, eh?
from our first date
