Lynn & Aaron in New York City

Hi, my name is Lynn and I am engaged to Mr. Wonderful... Aaron. Aaron and I have an amazing engagement story. Aaron lives in Long Island and I go to visit him whenever I can get there and vise versa. I went to visit him Labor Day week, 2006. I was so excited. For my birthday a couple months earlier he had given me a certificate to go skydiving with him. I couldn't believe it. I had always wanted to go! The best weather day that week to go was on Labor Day. So we got ourselves together with one of Aaron's friends to go skydiving that morning. I had no idea what I was in for. Aaron's friend, Justin said that he was going to jump out of the plane after us so that he could take pictures of us from the ground and vice versa for him. I thought that was a great idea! Part of me thought I was crazy for jumping, but I am an adventurous person and couldn't wait. As we were going up in the plane, I couldn't believe how beautiful Long Island was. It was amazing. You could just see the ocean wrapped around the Island! I loved it. I didn't start to get nervous until I saw the door go up and I knew it was our turn! I was being videotaped this whole time too! Aaron was first to jump, just watching him fall made my heart fall to my stomach. I stopped thinking! It was my turn next and as the guy (Flip) moved to the jumping bar, and I moved involuntarily. He was a big, strong guy. Watching the video, you can just see how terrified I looked. If I wasn't strapped to someone, I wouldn't have jumped! I thought I was going to literally pee my pants! Good thing for this guy, I didn't! Flip started to count as I he was hanging on to the bar of the plane and I still wasn't thinking. He said 1, 2 and then I felt a nudge as we just dropped face forward. I was having a difficult time breathing and I was just wondering what I got myself in to! We were dropping 150 miles per hour from 15,000 feet in the sky. Nothing compares to the shock your body goes in to. As I was falling a camera was catching my every face including the flapping of my skin on my face and neck. I kept thinking, I don't know if I can do this again if I can't breathe. It was about a 45 second free fall. It felt like an eternity. Finally, he let the shoot go and we were sailing in the wind. That was so AWESOME! I got to see the Island uninhibited by the window of a plane and still 5,000 feet in the air. It was amazing and calm! Flip was talking to me about all the sites and asking me all kinds of questions and then at about 1000 feet up, he asked me to look down and read the sign on the ground. Ok, I was still in SHOCK and my body went in to even more shock! It was a 50 ft RED tarp that said, "Lynn, will you marry me?" in big, bold, white letters with potted flowers on each corner to hold it down. My immediate witty response to Flip was, "Well, I guess I am taking the plunge twice today, aren't I?" He laughed and told me that I could start screaming my answer at any time. I felt like I should wait until I saw the ring! Just Kidding. I did wait until he verbally asked though! I couldn't get to Aaron quick enough as I landed on the ground and became unhooked. It felt like a scene from one of those movies where the two are rushing towards one another in slow motion. I went running for the handsome man holding 2 dozen roses in his arm (my favorites) with a grin from ear to ear with a look of anxiousness. No sooner than I got to him- did he get down on BOTH knees and popped the question along with the ring. I immediately replied with a yes! I had waited for this moment for a long time! It ended with a great big hug and kiss! As I looked around, there was a ton of people standing around us cheering and clapping. It made it more real that it was our moment. You never truly know that feeling that it is finally your turn to be engaged until you are actually in it. It was so amazing, romantic, and very dramatic. The best part is that we get to watch our video over and over. Also, the fact that I got some gorgeous bling!

My engagement gift that day was pretty amazing too. Aaron had this wooden box with a heart on it with our names carved in it that he gave me later that day. It had a padlock and he gave me the key. Now I had seen this box before but now I got to open it! When I opened it, it was full of things that he had saved from each of our dates. There were rocks from the beach, sugar packets with dates from restaurants, pictures of us, a rose from our first roses, letters and cards from me and index cards with EACH date marked and what we did on those dates. Who does stuff like this? I was amazed two times in one day! How stinking ROMANTIC! Ok, everyone asks me I cried at all that day and I didn't. I am not heartless, but I was STILL IN SHOCK! That is a lot of professing one's love to another to take in all in one day! I was more filled with joy knowing that I have an amazing man who loves me more than anything or anyone else and that when you wait for the right guy, it pays! ... now I'm crying!

The after story? a little of Aaron's side. He told me later that on our second date that he had known he was going to propose this way because I had mentioned that this was something that I always wanted to do. I was surprised he even thought he was going to marry me back then. I asked him where he got that huge tarp and he told me he had to special order it because he wanted something red because it symbolized love... how sweet. So efficient to detail! I also found out that he almost didn't get the ring in time. He picked me up from the airport on Sunday and proposed on Monday. My finger is so small that he had to special order it. He called everyday for two weeks to see if it was in. He picked it up on the way to the airport to get me. That is how close he was to having his plans ruined! I also found out that he had been planning the event with the Skydive place for a week! They made a great effort to make our day extra special. They actually said that they have seen different proposals over the last 20 years but not any like Aarons! He did the extraordinary! He got told by a friend who proposed to his wife in the car to do it right! HE DID! Thanks Scott! More importantly, thank you to the love of my life, my best friend, Aaron! I love you, thanks for making the great moments of our life extra memorable. I know that as we live the rest of our lives together... it will ALWAYS be extraordinary! You are amazing and I LOVE YOU!