A Holiday Engagement

Well, it's been over a week since I posted, and a lot has happened in that week that is worthy of sharing! First of all, I cooked (with Sean's dishwashing help - life saver!) a delicious gluten free feast with everything I put on the menu minus dessert and dinner rolls. There was an overabundance of food, and I am very proud of the success of not only my stuffing but my green bean casserole. I spent much of Wednesday night making the homemade components for the casserole, and it was just plain delicious with the meal. So, for your viewing pleasure, here is our feast:

Since Sean had the day off, we had talked about going into NYC to spend the rest of the day hanging out, possibly ice skating or seeing a show...So we hopped on the train and were in the city by 4 pm. We walked up Fifth Avenue, looked at all the gorgeous window decorations and displays.

We made our way up to Central Park, commented on the delightful smell of the horses and carriages (yuck!), and kept making our way to the skating rink, stopping to take some pictures along the way.

We got to the rink, and it was very crowded, so we decided against skating. I probably would have knocked over many small children. I wanted to keep walking, but Sean suggested we go over to the observation deck area and watch the skaters for a little while. That sounded like a lovely idea! We found an empty space along the railing to watch and take pictures. I had just taken this picture:...when I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned around and Sean said "Shannon? I have a question for you..." He got down on his knee and opened a small black box with a ring in it, and asked "Will you marry me?" It took my breath away. And of course I said yes!

It was the most perfect, romantic, memorable day I have ever experienced. He is the man of my dreams, and in January 2010 we will say our vows before our dearest friends and family, and become husband and wife. How lucky am I to be marrying my best friend?

So after the important phone calls were made (it was hard to actually get a hold of most people since it was dinnertime on Thanksgiving - duh!), we walked down to Times Square and got tickets to see Avenue Q, a delightfully politically incorrect musical starring puppets. It was the perfect way for us to end the day, laughing together, unable to stop grinning from ear to ear.

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving, and as we near Christmas, I hope your hearts are filled with joy, wonder, and peace. Cheers!