Let Life Happen update: We are Engaged!

Oh yeah. That actually happened!!!

That

On our trip. In Florida. With the most amazing human being in the world.

We are engaged and I could not be happier or more giddy if I tried. I am still giggling and smiling over it all. Just in shock and I can’t stop staring at my ring finger.

He totally surprised me.

I did not actually anticipate us getting engaged any time soon. I knew I wanted to marry Bill. There was NO QUESTION in my mind that he was the one. I found him and I was not going to let him go. But it is still a really big decision and we had both have learned a few things from being in failed marriages.

So, when he got down on one knee and asked me to marry him, I am pretty sure I screamed yes. Hahahaha! In Fact, it is all on video as evidence.

So, how did he pull it off?

We spent a good part of the day laying out at the beach, swimming and hanging out. He had made early dinner reservations so we knew we only had a little bit of time to get ready.

We got fancy for this dinner.

Now, before you ask me why that didn’t tip me off, it was because when we go out, we are the couple that discusses dress code. Like what would be appropriate to wear. Casual. Fancy. Semi. We are that couple. Okay? So it wasn’t completely out of the ordinary for him to tell me to dress up in something more formal for dinner. We had planned to have at least one nice dinner night out on our trip.

I love that we are that couple because it eases my anxiety a ton when it comes to dressing for date night. Ha!

After dinner is where the surprises started coming.

He asked me during dinner what I would like to do since we had the majority of the evening. I told him I would love to walk around the beach with him, catch the sunset, be romantic. The usual.

He said that sounded great…..paused a bit….then said “I think I have an idea of what we can do.”

Again, not out of the ordinary. He surprises me often and loves to makes plans. He is fantastic at it.

We went on a little drive into town. He had me close my eyes just before he pulled in to our destination.……which happened to be……

A freaking HELICOPTER RIDE!

What?!

That was a pretty freaking cool surprise and I basically looked like this the entire time.

As I also tried to take in the spectacular views while up in the air.

After our helicopter tour, he drove us to a part of the beach on the other side of our hotel. As we were walking around, we noticed that there were a ton of photographers there doing photo shoots. Mostly of families, a few couple and some maternity. We learned that it has earned the nickname “Photographer Island” because it happens to be the spot where photographers love to shoot.

I don’t blame them. The views were stunning.

A photographer and his assistant came up to us and offered to take a picture of us with our phones and even offered to use his camera for photos, stating he was just waiting around for the sunset to grab some shots.

Mmmmmhmmmm.

They had us do a specific pose that everyone does on Instagram and TikTok. He was giving us direction and posing us and it was a lot of fun.

He had us in this final pose…

And I could hear the photographer say “okay…great.”

Then, this happened:

I apologize that the audio is a little difficult to hear, but as you can see, I literally screamed YES! Ha! There was no way in heck that I was going to let someone like Bill get away. I was so shocked that it happened. I remember I kept staring at him and just giggling like an idiot and constantly commenting on how much I was sweating because I was freaking out!

If you would have asked me two years ago if I would be engaged to the man of my dreams, I would have laughed hysterically. The answer would have been a solid no. Oh I wanted it. I prayed for it. I dreamed about it. I believed a lifetime love, a true romance, was real but for other people. I wasn't sure it would be possible for me.

I desired a love that was romantic. True. Honest. Passionate. Sexy. Real. Faith filled. Wonderful. Magical. Fun. I wanted the kind of love that people like to tell you is unrealistic and that it doesn't exist. Maybe they tell you that because they don't believe in it for themselves, so they settle for good enough. But, I didn't and still don't want good enough.

I wanted both. And. If I were to ever be so lucky to fall in love and marry again, it will be the love of a lifetime. One that I will write about forever.

Lo and behold, then Bill walked into my world and I am now forever changed by him. We had our last first date back in December of 2020, we both just didn't realize it yet. Bill is everything I ever prayed for these last few years. I didn't know his name or even know what he looked like. God is crazy cool like that. God brought us together and now look at us!!!

Thank you to Will Simpson Photography for your beautiful photos and for capturing our moment on video. I have watched it at least 50 times. I am sorry you had to hear me scream and laugh awkwardly throughout the entire shoot. LOL. You and your assistant were the best.

For each of you who have been following along on our love story, thank you. For loving us. For being excited for us. For sharing in our joy. Bill and I both have been on our own journeys, and those journeys have led us to this moment. This is only just the beginning.

Now, I am off to stare at this gorgeous ring on my finger. Funny, I have suddenly become left handed.

Blessings,

Tiffany Rhea