B. Surprised me during our Disney vacation by asking me to marry him. This isn't totally out of the blue, nor would I want it to be; we've been serious about each other for a long time and live together, we've been together for many years, we have a small family consisting of our dog and rats, and over the years, we've talked about marriage being something that we wanted to do when it was right for us.

B. and I were on a Disneyland trip-just the two of us for a couple days, and then my family would join us at the end of the week. Unbeknownst to me, B. had decided to ask me to marry him during our trip. He knew that a proposal with an audience was the last thing I would ever want, and deliberately sought out a pretty area of Disneyland that was a little bit more private-the Main Street rail platform, looking down toward the castle. He gave me a braided ring with a Connemara marble stone (knowing that diamond jewelry is not my thing, he picked a stone that is especially meaningful to both of us because we toured the marble factory in Ireland last year.)

After I very happily said yes, a few Disneyland cast members had seen the engagement and wanted to do something special. They gave us a private tour on the Lily Belle, the private, plushly decorated presidential car. What a treat! It was sweet to spend some time immediately after an engagement with just the two of us, enjoying the private tour and spending some time processing the next step in our lives. Then, the cast members gave us personalized bride and groom ears once our trip had concluded. both of those things were completely provided by the park and weren't arranged by B. in advance. What a magical experience!

We have had a fun vacation anyway, and it's especially sweet to have a momentous memory in one of our favorite places. My family joined us later in the week - they were as happy and surprised as I was-and we have had a blast celebrating.