The Proposal

Although it has been many months I am hopeful I can look back on the proposal as if it were yesterday. It certainly was special enough to remember in detail and although I am sure most women say they were surprised, I really was!
 
The week of my birthday, (a Wednesday) Martin was away in the French Alps, climbing Europe's tallest mountain, Mont Blanc. The achievement of this I am afraid has been lost due to the excitement of the engagement, but it was a feat most ordinary people would be unable to do. At the end of it, I was to fly out to Chamoix to meet Martin and spend a weekend with him celebrating my birthday and his accomplishment.

  I didn't know how worried I would be about Martin until he actually went away. When I finally arrived from the airport and saw him standing in front of me safe and sound I couldn't help my urge to jump into his arms as he came out to greet me. Probably what he didn't need having just summited Europe's tallest mountain, but I think he was grateful to see me too.

Martin had been up since 2:00am, and after they got to the top of the mountain they had to get all the way back down. That night we had a nice meal with the people Martin had spent the week with and then went back to his good friend James' flat, who summited the mountain with Martin. The next day Martin and I would do some exploring of our own and then stay in a local B&B and then head back to London the day after.
 
The plan was to pick up some lunch, do some hiking and then have a picnic. Martin has picked out a hike for us to do earlier in the week, but I was a little sensitive to the fact that Martin had just spent the week doing some extreme activities and perhaps would like to rest a little. He assured me it was fine but I still felt the need to keep our activities to a minimum and just enjoy the beautiful scenery around us. 

To go on this walk we first needed to take two lifts up the face of the  mountain, and were then to walk back down. In principle, I was fine with this plan. I even went up the first lift without too much panicking. But when I saw the second lift, or rather the box on a wire that went over a vast gorge and up to the top of the mountain, that is when I decided we were high enough. There was no way I was getting on. Martin tried to persuade me but I just couldn't do it. I suggested we have lunch instead and just enjoy the views. He needed to rest any way.

 
The views were amazing. I was perfectly content to stay there and enjoy our bread and cheese. Martin was in a bit of a mood, but I figured it was just Martin being tired and grumpy, as he sometimes gets. To try and start a conversation I innocently asked him, so what is your next adventure. He looked at me somewhat perplexed. Oh dear, too soon to start thinking about his next challenge? He grumbled something, ate some cheese and I continued to survey our scenic surroundings.
 
So inspired was I by where we were, on top of a hill, on a grassy knoll, facing Mont Blanc, I couldn't help myself to comment that what a wonderful place this would be to get married. I could just see us saying our vows with all of our loved ones around us. You think so? Martin said. I said yeah, convinced that the subject of marriage would illicit another grumpy response. But instead, Martin got down on his knee, reached into his bag, pulled out a ring, and said how about second best instead? And asked me to marry him!

 
While this was happening I kept exclaiming, what are you doing? Really? What...seriously? It kind of felt like the time I was given Janet Jackson tickets for my birthday by my sister. I was in disbelief! I said yes of course, and now here we are! I was truly shocked. I knew that we would get engaged soon, but I was not expecting on top of a mountain after the end of a stressful and exhausting adventure by Martin. It was perfect. Brownie points for life. 

Turns out Martin had picked a place to propose on the walk back down and was in a panic after I wouldn't get on the second lift. When I asked about the next adventure he was thinking to himself-perfect opening, use this, ask now, but couldn't think of the right words. Lucky for us I gave him another opportunity.