We're Getting Married!!

Now that I'm fairly sure that I've spoken to or at least attempted to contact most everyone who I should before making an impersonal announcement, I have something I would like to post here:

SCOTT AND I ARE ENGAGED!!!!

It happened Monday, July 20th (so just over a week ago), but I'll start at the week before to set up the story.

Scott and I have been together for about a year and a half now, and since very close to the beginning of our relationship, I've been hinting to him that we should go on a picnic. I just always thought a picnic date is about the cutest thing you can do and it can be both very sweet and romantic and not expensive. It started with me forwarding some stuff online to him, to seeing stuff in the store that "reminded me of a picnic". It finally became a running joke that Scott would take me on a picnic... someday....

So, imagine my surprise when Scott told me that he was planning on taking me on a picnic on the coming Saturday. He wanted to take care of all the details, he didn't want me to lift a finger, and he wanted to find the perfect spot for it. I was really excited, and for some reason, I had an inkling that this might be more than just a picnic. That thought quickly vanished when in a discussion on Friday afternoon Scott told me that the place he wanted to go had a wedding going on so we would have to go a different day. Maybe Monday. Well, I was super disappointed (especially since nothing good ever happens on a Monday!) but I tried to make the most of it and not complain. That only lasted until Saturday morning when I was even more emotional about it and let Scott know it. Luckily, Scott knows how to handle my emotionalism by now, and talked me into being ok with our (less romantic in my mind) Monday evening picnic.

Monday came around and I went to work. I had a great surprise that morning when I walked in and my boss was engaged! It made me a little sad actually, since I had imagined for a little while that maybe I would have been engaged over the weekend too, but decided to put it out of my mind since I realized that I was probably only making up in my head that Scott was thinking about that and I had no proof at all that those were his intentions for our date. Erin, my boss, let me know that she had a doctors appointment and would need to leave a little bit earlier for lunch and then I would have to go after that. I just agreed to it, no questions asked, and got back to work until she got back around 12:30. I handed the portable phone for the main line to her as I do everyday when I'm leaving and started to walk out the front door.

I was looking at my phone to give Scott a call, when I heard someone calling my name. I looked up to see Scott standing to the right of me in front of my office!!! I gave a little jump totally startled and asked him, "What are you doing here?!" He replied, "I want to take you to lunch." To which I said, "But what about our date tonight? Can we not do the picnic again?" He said, "I want to take you on a picnic right now!" We got in the car and started driving. I realized that the place he wanted to go for the picnic was a full 15 minutes away from where I work and I only get an hour for lunch, so it seemed unlikely that we would have time for a long lunch. When I expressed my concern he only told me not to worry about it and we would be quick. On the way up, we just had some normal conversation. I thought about telling him that Erin had gotten engaged, but I realized I might slip my own thoughts about maybe it would have been me that day going into work, so decided against it, especially since he was being so good to me at the moment.

We made it to the Millenium Gardens in Plymouth and set out to set up our picnic. We picked a spot right in the center of the rose garden with a stream and fountain right by us. I could see why Scott had so much wanted to have the picnic in this location. It was a beautiful day with the sun shining and the beautiful flowers and water--absolutely heavenly. Scott pulled out a wonderful lunch of cheese, grapes, and sandwiches with some wine ("Wine! I have to get back to work after this!" "Just have a glass; it will be fine"). We enjoyed the place and each others company for a good 20 minutes before he said, "Let's pack this up and go on a little walk--I want you to see the whole park before we have to go."

We started to walk around and we saw some beautiful flowers and some fish in the sream around the garden. The stream went into a water fall that ended on a small pond. We walked down the path that followed along the side of the waterfall. As we walked over a small bridge that went over the waterfall, I saw something sitting on a bench just on the other side. There was a bouquet of flowers on it... with a card... with my name!! I turned to Scott said, "Scott, for me?? Why??" The flowers were just gorgous and I enjoyed smelling them and just taking the moment in. I opened the card to look at it, and it turned out that in the envelope was an 8-page (small pages, but still, 8 of them!) letter! I asked Scott, "Should I read this now or take it with us?" When he encouraged me to read it then, I sat down on the bench with the flowers in my lap and Scott next to me. Well, after about the first 1/2 paragraph I was already sobbing. I don't know how I made it through that letter to the very end, but as soon as I read the last words, Scott was on his knee in front of me, pulled out a ring and said, "Sarah Marie Galgano, will you marry me!?" I jumped into his arms (well lap kind of) saying "YES!" and just cried on his shoulder for about five minutes, at which time he said to me, " do you want to put on the ring?" We laughed and cried, and even had an onlooker from across the pond shout to us a congratulations and assurance that married life is simply wonderful.

Scott explained to me that he had gotten the rest of the day off for me (which explains Erin's mysterious emergency doctor's appointment). We somehow walked back to our picnic stuff and I made a few quick phone calls to my family. Since we were so close to Providence Academy, we were able to stop in and give my mom a hug, see JP, go into the chapel for a prayer together, and see Ellie who rushed up and wanted to see the ring!! We then went over to his house (less than a mile away) and had a glass of wine with his mother and brother.

That night, my family invited his entire family over to our house for champagne and cake for the celebration!! I think from the moment he picked me up from work until I fell asleep that night, I had a perpetual smile on my face.

I'm so happy that the man I get to spend the rest of my life with is someone with whom I can laugh, be goofy, have a deep conversation, pray, respect, love, challenge and just be me. Scott Michael Deeney has made me the happiest woman and I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with him!!!