On March 16th, I received the first 2 dozen roses at work with a note saying I was to go on a "Treasure Hunt" after work. So at 5 pm I walked to the starting point and my "guide" was waiting for me.
Kent has tutored Brad every Tuesday for the past year and a half and some how convinced him to participate in the night's event. Eight spots around Boston had been picked out for me to meet Brad and receive another rose and the next set of clues.Start: Subway up the street from where I work
2: Loews Movie Theater at Boston Commons - We have our Friday date night here fairly often and have seen a variety of movies in this theater, yes, even chick flicks. I think Kent actually enjoys them more than he's willing to let on...
3: The Opera House - Saw Death Cab for Cutie here, which was the first concert we had been to together.
4: Quiznos in Downtown Crossing - I have met Kent for lunch at this Quiznos over the past 2 years. It is run by a pair of Ukranians, who Kent has attempted to charm with his knowledge of Slavic languages. I think they stand to be impressed, but it's cute that he tries. The lady is the best, she yells out all of her questions to each customer in line including, "LETTUCE, PICKLES, ONIONS?" (which was the clue that got me there in the hunt).
5: Winthrop Lane - A short, but well developed alleyway between two buildings which leads to a building I used to work in. After our Friday movie night we usually end up walking through this alleyway going from the theater to Kent's car. He refers to it as "Our Lover's Lane." (again, the clue that got me to this spot)
6: The Comedy Connection @ Faneuil Hall - I took Kent here in December to see Pablo Francisco for his Christmas present. It was the first live comedy standup either one of us had seen.
7: Post Office Square - When I worked on Federal Street during the summer Kent and I met for lunch in Post Office Square a few times. It's a nice green lawn right in the middle of the city, and they even offer you cushions to sit on!
8: (Brad slipped up and gave me the wrong clue so I actually didn't make it to this location, but I'll include it anyway...) 125 High Street - This is where Kent slaves away every day of the week. It's usually a good meeting place for us, although I'm not allowed past the front desk...I did manage to convince a security guard to let me use the restroom once - It was an EMERGENCY!
9: Harbor Walk outside of the Courthouse - This is Kent's favorite view of the city, and it is a great one. He used to park his car in the Mud Lots (named because they are unpaved and become more of a mud pit than a parking lot after a good rainstorm), which are just next to the courthouse, so we used to walk along the water whenever going back to his car. Almost everytime he would make us stop and just look around for a minute. Usually at the time we were walking by it was completely dark and quiet, but all the buildings were still lit up.
However, the final clue that Brad gave me was "A little harbor escape," which was meant to lead me to the spot in front of the courthouse. Kent now parks his car in a hotel garage which is near the harbor, but not in the same spot. So I went to the hotel garage thinking that is what he meant. When I got there I saw Kent, and assumed I was right, but needless to say he was a bit surprised to see me. It became clear that I was at the wrong place at the right time...but he was a little disappointed that the treasure hunt hadn't gone quite as he planned.
Anyway, throughout the evening it had been snowing and consistently getting worse. By the time I reached the parking garage there were inches of snow on the ground and even more of it blowing around. We both got in the car and picked up Brad, me convincing Kent the whole time that the treasure hunt had been fun, and totally worth it, despite the weather. After we located Brad, Kent said that he wanted to at least take me to the last place, just for the affect. So we drove over to the courthouse. He told me to wait in the car for a few minutes, and then Brad told me when it was my turn to go. I got out of the car and started to walk around and this is what I saw:
I wasn't kidding about the blizzard part...Then I saw Kent there waiting with the rest of my roses. He told me I had successfully finished my treasure hunt, even through all the wind and snow. I noticed Brad coming up behind me with the camera and looked over, and when I turned back...
Kent was afraid you wouldn't be able to see him that well from Brad's original location, so we took another for all the kids back home...
Needless to say, trying to decipher clues while slogging myself through the snow was definitely worth it by the end of the night...
I know some of you may think I've been holding out on you, but I was completely surprised by the proposal, just as Kent had planned. Apparently he had been planning the whole thing for over a month and it paid off for sure. It was one of the most exciting and unexpected things I've ever had in my whole life. I honestly didn't think Kent would create some elaborate scheme for a proposal, but it made it that much better. It was romantic and meaningful for the two of us and our relationship, and the effort he put into it makes me love him even more.
I didn't quite show my excitement at the time, but I was surprised! I was still trying to figure out what had just happened. But I am really excited to be taking this step in my life and even more excited that I get to take it with Kent. Our relationship has not necessarily been one that maps out the way every little girl dreams, but it is exactly what I want. We love spending time together, sharing laughs and dreams, and get excited to plan out the future.
