It was five years ago today. The spring breezes carried the air of new beginnings (in addition to numerous, nasty allergens, but I digress). Kelly and I had been dating all of six months. My family was visiting my Aunt Pat and Uncle Arthur at their beachhouse in Garden City, near Myrtle Beach.

It was a sunny Tuesday morning. My brother Jeff and his then-girlfriend Suzie were also visiting. I’d been whispering to them that “it” would happen that week.

Kelly and I went for a morning walk along the sunny beach, holding hands and taking in the great outdoors. As we approached the Kingfisher pier , a landmark for me since I was 8 years old, I took her on a detour into the local arcade.

I tried to buy a toy ring at the counter, but the lady behind it told us we couldn’t buy it; we had to win it by playing one of the games there. Kelly and I fed money into the Skee Ball game until we’d collected enough tickets. (Like many things, Kelly excels at Skee Ball, for the record.)

Having earned our prize, I walked, somewhat erratically, back to the pier, my mind racing and my palms sweatier than they had a right to be under the early-morning sun. Kelly asked me what the heck I was doing, but I remained mum until we’d gotten back to the sand.

I then pointed at a rock near the pier. “Sit,” I said, and she did. Her typical response to this would be to tell me to jump off the end of the pier, but I guess she was too befuddled to consider this. Anyhow, I got down on one knee and slipped the toy ring over her finger.

Our lives changed forever when she said yes, though we kept it secret until the next morning. I had fun eating breakfast and pretending nothing had changed until Kelly finally prodded me into announcing the news.

Five years ago, we became engaged when Kelly took a seat on that rock. It was the last time she did what I told her. 🙂

I love you, Kelly!