Just got back from an incredible weekend in Vermont. If you’ve never been, I highly recommend it. The trip has got me thinking that it’s about time to quit the rat race and open a bed and breakfast up there. 😉

Of course, the real headline is that Shawn said “YES.” After a strenuous hike to the top of Spruce Mountain, we climbed the fire tower to see the stunning view of the Green Mountains, the White Mountains (in New Hampshire), the Adirondacks (in New York State) and well into Canada.

It was incredible, except that once we climbed the steps above the tree line, the wind was frigid and wicked. And the fact that I’m not all that comfortable with heights certainly didn’t help.

With my knees trembling for a number of reasons, I held on to the ledge of the watch tower windows (which were long gone) and tried to summon up the courage to let go and get down on one knee. No such luck. That sh*t was high-up.

Shawn, on the other hand, was ready to immediately climb down. I kept stalling, my skin starting to sting from the wind, and then finally said, “Here,” thrusting the ring in his direction, “I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you marry me?” I think he was stunned, but it could have just been nausea from the heights.

Cutting to the punch line, he said yes. I kissed him, said I loved him, and then said I was getting down right that moment. But, unlike him, my eyes were open on the climb down.

Date TBD (likely late spring or early summer). Location TBD (I want to get married, not civil unioned or holy bonded or commitment ceremonied, which means either Ontario or British Columbia, but we’ll see).

I did spend a good part of the weekend thinking about the reason why I think the two of us getting married is so important. One of the last things my Grandma said to me at the hospice was, “Take care of him. He loves you and we all love him.” The fact that Grandma left me with those words made me realize just how precious (and short) life is.

Two people can get married anywhere in the world. That fact alone demonstrates how important the institution of marriage is to our society, to our culture, and to past (and probably future) generations.

And it’s horribly tragic that I live in a country that is sending its sons and daughters off to die every single day in the name of freedom and equality, and yet I’m denied one of the most basic rites of human civilization, just because the person I choose to love is also a man.

It’s not right. We deserve it just as much as anyone else. And I think we’re gonna have it. Of course, our options (at this point) are limited to two provinces of the Neighbor to the North, unless we want to drag our friends and family over to Europe. So I figured that this weekend, I was going to go for broke and ask him to marry me.

Stay tuned.