Hearts, Shamrocks and Diamonds

The weather here in Minnesota has been pleasant this March. We struggled during the bitter cold of February, so Mother Nature kind of owed us a mild month. We decided to go for an early Sunday morning walk over the Lift Bridge to Wisconsin. We made our way downtown and saw that the Valentine Heart that had been illuminated for weeks was finally gone. A huge shamrock was in it's place. Of course, we stopped to take a photo.

Stillwater Shamrock

Downtown was crowded with folks sauntering in every direction. We dodged several groups then came upon a cute couple who appeared to be looking for the perfect spot to take a selfie. The young man stopped me and asked if I would mind taking a photo of them. I mentioned that having the sun behind them would make them a silhouette. He insisted it would be fine, pulled out his phone and started setting up the shot for me. When he handed his phone to me, I raised it to eye level and noticed, right away, that the camera did not appear to be on; instead it looked as though I was viewing text messages. I told him I didn't think I was on camera anymore and he said, "No, it's video taping." I kept insisting that I was pretty sure it wasn't on camera at all but he was focused on preparing himself for the shot. Suddenly, he bent down on one knee. Looking confused, his gal asked him what he was doing. He reached in his pocket and pulled out a little black box. Right there, in front of us and everyone else on their Sunday morning jaunt, he asked her to make him the happiest man on earth. 

I was stressing big time because there was NO way that I was getting this all on tape. I looked at Dave and suggested he get his phone out but he was already on it. The bride to be was squealing, and shaking as he slipped the ring on her finger and embraced her. When the young man took his phone back he realized that it had not videotaped the event. He was crushed! His new fiancé kept telling him that it was ok and didn't matter. We offered to tape it a second time but he said he wanted it to be authentic. Once he got over the fact that the filming was a flop, he acknowledged that the important part of the day was that he asked her and she said "YES", and they were engaged. 

Dave did capture some good video towards the end. It wasn't the entire proposal but it was something for them to show their families. There was no denying the happiness they shared in that moment. I offered to take photos of the happy couple. We texted our photos and video to the young man, congratulated them both and thanked them for sharing their surprise engagement with us, making our day special too. 

Our morning walk turned into a wonderful event today. We shared a monumental milestone with strangers and became part of their story. Whatever happens in their lifetime, from this point forward, we were there when it all began; standing on a historic bridge, witnessing their dedication and devotion to one another. For us old married folks, it was a reminder that there are precious times in life; defining moments that we never forget, even if they aren't captured in photographs or video. We keep them safe in our hearts and minds for all of time.

She loved her ring

The sweetest couple

Very happily engaged