I parked my car along the path by the location we had planned to meet for Drew and Annie's engagement session. The rain was pouring as my windshield wipers glided back and forth across my windshield. We had been praying the rain would pass and that the weather would brighten up. But the dark clouds covering the city and puddles surrounding my car suggested that was not in the forecast.
I called Drew and Annie to see what they wanted to do. We decided that instead of rescheduling, we would simply shift locations to a place less, soggy. Drew has THE sweetest apartment in Market Square where Annie will be joining him in less than two months! We met up there to reconvene and decided to brave the precipitation characteristic of this great city and just go with it!
Within 15 minutes of being out and about downtown, the rain stopped entirely and we were blessed with an evening that turned out better than any of us could have imagined! Beautiful light, meaningful scenery, and empty streets!
The irony here is that Drew found himself in a very similar situation on the day that he proposed to Annie. You see, biking has been a central piece of their story. Their first date was a bike ride - one that lasted for 22 miles! (You can conclude that they either got lost - or had a reeeeally incredible first date ;)
They preceded to fall in love (or at least verbalize that love) on a bike trip with Drew's family. So it only made sense to plan a proposal incorporating their love of biking and the integral part it has played in their story.
Drew had a plan in mind and commissioned his parents to help bring it to fruition. He had created signs that would be displayed consecutively on one of Pittsburgh bridges. The only problem is that the weather was awful. A gigantic storm was on the horizon and the forecast was not showing any signs of improvement. Since Annie was oblivious to what was in the works, she questioned if it was really a good idea to venture out on a bike ride under the current weather conditions. Drew decided he should probably just call it off and phoned his parents to break the news. His mom informed him that it wasn't raining where they were and that she believed they should stick to the plan. Drew, like any great man, wisely listened to his mom (the clear unsung hero of the story) and convinced Annie to come with him on a bike ride.
Drew's mom was right! And just like on the evening of their engagement session, the rain held off! And they were gifted with a night better than they could have imagined. As they neared the bridge where Drew's parents had left the signs, Drew sped ahead. Annie, slightly puzzled, kept peddling in attempt to catch up. As she neared the bridge, she saw a sign that said "Annie", and thought "What? Is that for me??".
Another sign followed. "Will You".
Her heart was beating faster as the next sign she saw read "Marry". And finally, she caught up to Drew who was down on one knee next to the last sign "Me".
Their's is a story that has been in the making for a long time. Drew and Annie go to the same church. They have for years. Their paths have crossed more than once. They even share good mutual friends and volunteer with the same youth group. They've gone on trips together and they even have a picture where drew's arm is around Annie! Uncanny. But still - they never had a conversation. Which brings us to this past spring.
Drew is typically not into set ups. But a good friend of his from the pirate brigade, who just so happened to be Annie's roommate, made the keen observation that she could not believe Drew and Annie had not connected yet. Because she knew both of them so well, her opinion carried a lot of weight. Drew decided to give it a shot and gave Annie a call. They decided to meet up for a bike ride in Pittsburgh's beautiful river trails. Given the few and distant encounters they had in the last, Annie was understandably skeptical about how the date would go. And boy was she was pleasantly surprised. The connection was nearly instantaneous. The conversation was effortless. And it didn't take too many more dates for them to realize that they wanted to keep dating forever.
These two could not be more perfect together. They bring out the best in one another, which is saying a lot since they are already two of the greatest souls around. You are instantly put in a better mood when spending time with them. Their love overflows and cannot help but get you excited about life. We could not be happier for you Drew and Annie! Congratulations and we cannot wait for December!
