The “Tail” of Two Proposals

For those of you who have read my blog post for the month of June, you already know that Dan surprised me with an absolutely stunning proposal on June 20, 2009. What you may not know, however, is that the June 20th proposal was actually the second of two amazingly beautiful proposals. Yes, two! That said, be sure and have a tissue in hand when you read the rest of this entry because the story of the first proposal is just as remarkable and touching as the second. The photo to the right is the “special” photo mentioned in the second to last paragraph of my June blog. It was taken by Dan on one of the last few days that Bandit was able to walk on his own.

Our Little Ring Bearer

For those of you that have known me the longest, you know that I’ve always wanted my furry, four-legged friends to be a part of my wedding, as both ring bearers and flower girl. Needless to say, when Bandit was diagnosed in January of 2009 with an inoperable tumor on his spine, my dreams were shattered. What I didn’t know, however, was that Dan was completely on board with the idea and that he wasn’t about to let Bandit’s diagnosis stand in the way of my dreams or happiness.

Late one February evening, I came home to a very wobbly (yet very happy) Bandit who greeted me at the door with a pretty blue bow tied to his harness. My birthday was two days away and, since there had been talk about Dan having to be out of town on my birthday for work, my immediate thought was that Dan would be leaving the next day for Phoenix and that he had decided to give me my birthday present a couple of days early. As I sat on the floor trying to calm Bandit and the rest of the excited bunch, I inquired about why there was a gift tied around Bandit’s harness. It had been an exceptionally hard week and I was not pleased that Dan would, again, be out of town on my birthday.

As the hounds began to relax, I reached for the bow on Bandit’s harness, half expecting the heart pendant that Dan had talked about the previous year. We had had a long, trying night with Bandit the night before and I was thoroughly exhausted and not thinking too overly clear that entire day. So, that said, you can only imagine my surprise when I untied the pretty blue bow and discovered a beautiful diamond engagement ring! OMG! A proposal was absolutely the furthest thing from my mind and, to be completely honest, I hadn't even given it a thought since Thanksgiving when Bandit became ill.

As I sat there in disbelief, my eyes quickly began to well up with tears and then I heard the words, “This isn’t how I had planned to propose, but I wanted him to be the ring bearer at least once.” Together, we both begin to sob, and I immediately realized the thoughtfulness of what Dan had just done. Dan had just fulfilled one of my wedding day wishes and I was overwhelmed with both happiness and sadness all at the same time. We decided right then and there, on the floor in the middle of our living room, to privately cherish this moment until we felt were strong enough to share it with others. This precious, bittersweet moment will forever be a part of our lives and, now that several months have passed and Dan and I have been able to digest the most recent happenings in our life, we felt it was time to share this touching and secretly treasured story with each of you. We hope it fills your heart with as much love and happiness as it does for the both us!