So… We got engaged – Ian’s View

Now in fairness… I did have an inkling of what was going on. 

C’est en janvier qu’on avait d’abord planifié un voyage à Whistler en Colombie-Britannique. Une sortie pour acheter nos bagues de fiançailles peu avant le voyage a été un premier indice. 

Autre indice : le désespoir de réaliser ces plans de voyage tel que prévus. 

When it was finally official that it needed to be postponed due to Omicron… the urgency to rebook it asap was a clue. 

Prior to this trip I was informed that we’d be having a photoshoot here. Very typical for us on trips. But apparently I needed to get a new, nicer coat for the photo shoot. That was a clue. 

Today, March 19, 2022, was to be the rescheduled photo day (weather delayed it from its initially rescheduled date). Stéphane Did everything he could to make it a surprise. Right down to making sure we remembered to bring our tripod we use for these photoshoots along. 

J’avais l’impression que ce serait enfin le grand jour. 

Until we got to the location. Then he broke the news, he’d booked a professional photographer. And then I knew for sure. The question was being popped today. 

We were at Nicklaus golf course in Whistler. A location suggested to him by Angie Gallant, a local photographer he had researched and booked for the occasion. 

She had just the spots for us to get amazing photos. The random blizzard cleared and the sun came out just as we arrived in the parking lot. Yet another sign in our journey together that this was all meant to be. 

She took us back along a treed path that lead to Green Lake. Frozen over this day, but apparently during the summer when the sun hits it, it glows emerald green (hence the name). Along the way a lady and her son out with their dogs for an afternoon by the lake. Super sweet dogs, just setting the scene for us dog lovers to have them there with us. 

We take a few photos. Get into the jive of things. Then around 3:15 PDT she backs away a bit, longer lens on her camera. “I’m going to take a few candids now, you guys just talk with each other.”  This was apparently the prearranged cue for Stéphane.

On savait qu’on allait se fiancer. On y avait beaucoup pensé tous les deux. Nous avions tous les deux une idée de ce que nous allions dire, le moment venu. Malheureusement, ces mots nous ont échappé ce jour-là. Stéphane a essayé de dire quelques mots sur combien il tenait à moi. Il voulait vivre avec moi pour le reste de ses jours. Des mots que nous avions échangés bien des fois avant aujourd’hui. 

Mais les mots exacts se sont perdus dans l’intensité du moment. Déjà tout oubliés. L’émotion avait pris le dessus. 

Beautiful cloud dotted blue skies the backdrop to the majestic Fitzsimmons Mountain Range that is the home of Whistler surrounding us, the only words from the moment that really mattered… as he dropped to one knee, “Will you marry me?”… promptly followed by my “YES”.  He slipped the ring that we’d bought together onto my finger. I then slipped his onto his finger. We then sealed with a hug and a kiss.

My fairytale, better and more amazing than could be imagined, now real life. 

On a continué à prendre beaucoup de photos, en montrant les bagues autour de nos doigts. Des photos où on s’enlaçait. D’autres où on s’embrassait. D’autres où on se regardait simplement dans les yeux. C’était facile à saisir puisque notre amour était si réel. 

En chemin vers le stationnement, les mêmes chiots se sont approchés de nous pour nous féliciter. 

Stéphane had booked us reservations for dinner at the Table 19, the restaurant at the golf club clubhouse, but they weren’t for another hour, so we drove to Base 2 of Whistler Ski Resort to get a background for the FaceTime calls to first my parents (my mom screamed and did a happy dance right there in their back porch where they happened to be when they got the call), then with Stéphane’s parents (both extremely happy for us, François reiterating that while I was already part of the family, it was more official now), and then a call to Stéphane’s sister Marie-France to loop her in as well. 

Avant d’aller souper, nous avons aussi annoncé la nouvelle par textos à nos amis les plus proches. Le reste de la planète apprendrait la nouvelle quand nous aurions reçu les premières photos le lendemain. 

We headed in for a delicious charcuterie board (we are all but the olives), followed by a plate of some of the most delicious bacon wrapped pork loin we’ve ever enjoyed.

The table for 2 that we got had one of us face out through the floor to slanted ceiling windows overlooking the lake and mountains. The other facing in towards the wall, which in fairness had some amazing art on the wall (which we looked up and decided was WAY too expensive for us). So we could both get the full experience we traded sides of the table between the appetizer and main course. 

Et c’est comme ça que nous sommes aujourd’hui fiancés. 

And I, the luckiest man on earth, could not be happier.