The engagement

Probably our favorite story to date...except for maybe that one time I wouldn't hold that bass. Oh and that bobcat encounter. And there's Richie's famous front flip off the dock in front of the Living Room and that grander he keeps talking about...anyways, here's how it happened :)

In Mallory's words.

We were living in the Maldives at the Four Season Laanda Giraavaru. A picturesque oasis out in the middle of the Indian Ocean that I'm sure fairy tale's are made of. A stunning and humbling place to live. 

It was a very special day in July.  Richie had the day off from work and planned a day of fun for us. 

In the morning we went scuba diving! Scuba diving? Yes...I did that! And it was amazing. For anyone who knows me...two years ago I wouldn't even put my head under water. So this was a pretty amazing exploit for me on a particularly amazing day!

After lunch we packed some beers and went out on a small boat for an afternoon of fishing, snorkeling, and deserted island exploring. On our way out, magically a pod of dolphins appeared right next to the boat..we quickly got on our snorkel stuff and dove right in. Amazing!

After that Richie put a line in the water to see what he could catch. I was just fine watching him and drinking my beer. In hindsight he was VERY intent on catching a fish...I mean he couldn't come up empty handed right before he was about to propose, right? Eventually he caught his fish. A giant needlefish! Once the fish was set free to be with his fishy friends, we left for the sandbank, our own private strip of white sand for the afternoon.

At the sandbank Richie again was on a mission, one he was taking rather seriously. His mission was to find the most giant hermit crab he could. Why? Because I love those little critters so much! I think it was because I was stuck on a teeny tiny island for so long, but I became obsessed with them. So in true Richie fashion, he was going to find the biggest damn hermit crab he could and put a ring next to it. And that he did! 

We checked it out together and then I walked down the sandbank while he was oddly admiring it (that was usually me...). He called to me to check it out again and when I came over and looked down there was something sparkly next to it. I beat him down to my knees and looked up at him. That's when he took a knee and asked him to marry him, to be his wife, and I said YES! 

After he planned a romantic dinner. Courses and courses appeared of amazing food and wine.

A night only to be outdone by our wedding. I get to marry my love and best friend. Such a lucky girl!