[Saturday]

[4:30 p.m.]

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After lunch they had taken a chilly walk through the heavy falling snow, glove-in-glove and admired the beauty of the vista spread out across the valley below. With the snowfall shrouding even the view of the enormous mountain in front of them, it was easy to imagine they were the only two people on earth.

 

As they turned to walk back to the cabin, Amanda had let go of his hand. When he turned to look at her, she nailed him right in the chest with a snowball, and laughing tried to scamper away. That was it… it was on!

 

Their snowball fight had been fun, until he accidentally pegged her in the forehead. The look of shock on her face immediately made him regret doing it. She bent over, and he became concerned that he had actually hurt her. Rushing over to make sure she was okay, he was completely unprepared for the double handful of snow she launched at his face and neck. As the snow slid inside his coat and the icy shock ran down his chest, she jumped at him and wrapped her legs around his waist, her arms around his neck, and planted a huge kiss on his lips.

 

Together they tumbled into a drift and then sat up, waist deep in the snow. She was laughing her head off. “I’m sorry, babe, but the look on your face was priceless.” Her eyes, and her cheeks, were glowing. She stood up, and reached her hand out to him where he sat.

 

He knew the perfect moment when it happened. He allowed her to pull him part way up, and got one knee under himself, then pulled back a little and placed his other foot in the snow in front of him. She seemed to realize how he was positioned, on a single bent knee, and her eyes grew wide.

 

“I need to ask you something,” he began, still holding her right hand in his left. “I have loved you since the moment our eyes first met, and the more I get to know you, the deeper my love grows. I can no longer imagine living my life without you by my side.”

 

He reached into his pocket and withdrew a small ring box, as the butterflies in his stomach threatened to make him throw up. Gathering his nerve one final time, he opened the box and turned it toward her, displaying the small single diamond, on a fine band of gold. He heard her sharp intake of breath, and in a slightly shaky voice, he said, “Amanda Faith Donner, will you make me the luckiest and happiest man in the world, and marry me?”

 

She stared at the ring and her eyes filled and overflowed with tears. Slowly, she turned them to his face. He had never seen such pure and overwhelming love reflected back at him. She nodded, unable to speak for a moment.

 

Finding her voice, she said softly, “Yes, yes, yes.” Then in a little bit louder voice, “Oh my God! Yes!” She turned to face the valley below, and with an exuberant yell, she screamed out, “YES! I’M GETTING MARRIED!”

 

As the echoes of her shout were eaten by the falling snow, she once again hugged him, and kissed him like she never had before. He felt a little dizzy, and could swear the earth actually moved under their feet as she did.

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