On December 18th Justin showed up to Oakland to have lunch with me. Much to my surprise, he declared that he was "taking me away" now for any teacher that is unnerving but he assured me that I had a sub and plans to go along with the sub made especially for me by my partner teacher, Kristen.
We left after I asked my principal and partner teacher if everything was okay...they told me it was. When I hopped in the car Justin had lunch and a map. We were going on a real adventure.
The first stop??? Greenup, IL to Cameo Vineyards. We relaxed as we drank a glass of wine in the cozy tasting room next to a roaring fire. Justin excused himself and brought in a bag for me! Inside was a card made on his mac laden with photos of the first couple of months of our relationship. Inside was a narrative recounting some of the "big events" of the first several months of our relationship. Along with the card, was a pez dispenser. I laughed because I am the one to stuff Justin's stocking every year with a pez dispenser, I guess he beat me to it!
Second, we pulled into a winery in Coffeen, IL. After trying every wine on the list we sat down to enjoy a glass of our own. Justin had another gift for me, this time a second card highlighting all the general fun times that we have had together and with our families. Along with this gift, there was a two pack of Burt's bees lip balm! The best ever.
The next stop was Bretz's Wildlife Lodge and Winery in Carlyle. It was a safari theme and we had fun trying all of the African inspired wines. At this stop the card I was given highlighted our trip to England and France as well as all of the hard work we have been putting in toward our degrees at ISU. The inside of the card read "I propose a toast to Sara and Justin, we deserve a weekend away" Along with this card there was a cool necklace because Justin knows how much I love jewelry.
Finally, we ended up in Aviston at Hidden Lakes Winery. There we had reservations at the Barrell Room Steakhouse. We sat down, ordered a bottle of the double decker red and started to enjoy the wine when Justin asked if I wanted to open the last gift. When I opened the card it said "Future" and had a picture of a ring, house, baby and dog. I looked up and he was on his knee. He asked me to marry him and of course I said YES!!!!!
The restaurant treated us to champagne and dessert and we went to our cabin. It was a fabulous cabin with whirlpool, fireplace, and more champagne. We had a great time!
The next day we called our family and went ice skating at Forest Park in St. Louis. On our way home we stopped in Altamont to see my grandparents and parents and to generally show off the ring and our happiness.
We are busily planning a June wedding. As decisions are made we will let all of you know!
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