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Twenty four years ago . . . today, Phillip asked me to marry him. True to how we roll - it was both creative and centered around food. . . .
We were both so very young. I was not yet twenty and he was twenty-two. We had been friends for a few years - had even shared a college course together - but that was the extent of our relationship ... friends.
Until the day that I saw him at his brothers wedding. That day would change the course of my path - and forever make me a better person. He was looking handsome in his tux and I could barely take my eyes off him. A little over a month later ... we were sitting by candlelight on a blanket in the middle of his living room with a blackberry pie in between us.
We had been dating for not even two months - but I knew. I knew that he was the one for me. I couldn't imagine my life without him.
So. Back to the pie ...
Phillip had picked out two beautiful stargazer lilies and set them on either side of the pie. He then had me take my flower out of the vase and explained to me that there was an old native american ritual. It involved plucking each petal off, and for every petal you would state something that you wanted for the future of our relationship. Well, needless to say - two petals in and I was a tearful mess. He then had me blow the gathered petals in my hands out - and this was to allow for those wishes, those hopes - to come true.
Now his turn.
He plucked petals and said the most endearing and beautiful things. Then as he blew out his petals - there it was. The light from the candles flickered off of it's surface just enough for me to see it. A ring.
He took that ring, and leaned forward. With tears in his eyes and a smile playing across his lips - he asked me to marry him.
And I let out a soft ... yes ... and felt as if my heart would explode.
So - now twenty four years later - blackberry pie and stargazer lilies are still some of my most favorite things.
Funny how some moments are etched into your memory and once you start thinking about them - feel as if they just happened yesterday.
This is one of them for me.
