The Proposal

Delcastle Park 8/24/08

(Kimberly)

The weather was beautiful. It was night, and lights lit the running path. We ran one lap, stopped to stretch, and continued on. Upon nearing the actual start point of the course, Andrew began. "You're my traveling companion," he said. "I'm glad we came to this course. This is your old training course, the place where you

 did all your hard work that people didn't see. " I thought to myself, Is this the start the something? I was so nervous and could only get out a "Yup." He continued saying that, "That's what we're doing now. We're doing all this hard work together that no one sees. You're my companion on a lonely road." We crossed the start/finish line, and he said, "So I think this is a good spot," as he pulled me onto a lamplit patch of grass. Time seemed to stop as he got down on one knee. I felt myself getting choked as the tears began to well up. He pulled the ring box out of his running shorts. "Will you marry me?" he asked, and opened the box. "Yes," I barely got the word out. I pulled him up to hug him and said "Yes!" again. Then he got back down to put the ring on. He said, "Let's get that on there." We hugged, kissed, walked, and mumbled how much we loved each other. We were both in a state of shock, but overcome with so much happiness and joy. 

(Andrew)

It was a beautiful moment on a beautiful night. I had been feeling my heart pound in my chest ever since we saw that ring in the store. It was very nerve-wracking trying to prepare for the proposal. I wanted it to be special and in a place that was meaningful for Kimberly. The sun was getting very low in the sky even before we left the store. I thought the end of the run that we had planned for days would be just right. But it was getting dark and the first course we had thought of going to was far away. We got a bit turned around trying to find the course, and it was getting very dark, and the ring box hidden in my pocket was digging into my leg. I was trying to remain calm. It would all work out, I tried to tell myself. The run on the lighted course went by in a blur. I kept looking for the right spot, the right moment. After we made it around the first time, the search got more intense. Under the flagpole? In the parking lot? Near the tree, where we were stretching? I was glad we started jogging again towards the start/finish line. As we got closer it just felt right. I started saying some things, I can't remember at all. I know I took her over to the lamp on the grass near that start line. And I know she said yes. And later I know I heard somebody shout out of a car window, "Get a room!" 

(Kimberly)

My parents had been doing a walk around the course while we ran. They saw Bambi on the path. We saw Thumper scurry across at one point. This was the second park we had been to. The first option, Brandywine Creek Park, was too far away to reach before dark. So we had headed out to Brandywind Springs, where I had broken the course record during high school. By the time we had gotten there (after a few wrong turns, and several stops at gas stations to ask directions), it was too dark. We tried to run, but could barely see cross country signs to point us in the right direction, let alone our feet. We decided to abandon the park and head to Delcastle. I thought it was perfect.